Subj: [ffml] [MW] Kaitlin wonders Date: 98-10-23 12:36:20 EDT From: jandoc@hawaii.edu (Schala) Reply-to: ffml@onelist.com To: ffml@onelist.com From: Schala From what Kaitlin could figure out, three weeks had gone by since they had left the Moogle camp. The time seemed to be going so fast, and they seemed to be traveling so slowly. But Schala didn't seem to mind, and Frog was leading the party, so she hadn't said anything. She was glad to be in the forest, though; during her time with Bacca's army, she had lost touch with nature. That was not good. But she was here now, and she was feeling much more revitalized. Lorinan. Somehow she must find a way to revive him. She was the Lady of the Word, after all, as he had told her. Her hand unconsciously went to the pouch in which she kept her Elfstones. She wondered if she could use their power to bring him out of his coma. She remembered how powerful they had been when Lorinan had invoked them after getting them from Walker Boh. Maybe it was a good thing they were taking so long to return to Vector, because it was giving her a chance to more fully explore the stones' powers. The image of Lorinan when he had appeared to her in the Darklord's tent, his voice, his words, came back to her. The Moogles. Kaitlin shivered at the thought. She vaguely remembered one terrifying moment when several Moogleboars had barged in. She touched her forehead and closed her eyes. That time was foggy in her mind. She remembered struggling, then the next thing she knew, she had been looking up into Schala's worried face. Perhaps she should ask her what happened that time... Kaitlin stole a glance at her two companions. In the past week they had gotten very close. They seemed to share something that she wasn't party to, and that annoyed her slightly. Was there some secret between them, perhaps? She wasn't unduly curious, but still, they were together a good part of each day, and she felt snubbed. She wondered even more because she had noticed a difference in Schala after they left the camp. The Mystic had been so quiet, almost sad. But now, she was looking much happier, and she and Frog talked easily. What kind of camraderie did they share? Once, she had gone off into the trees without them to perform another ritual. When she had returned, she had seen them talking. For the first time in a long time, Kaitlin had seen something almost like happiness on Schala's face. And she had seen something else on Frog's countenance... Kaitlin kicked up the dirt slightly as she thought about it. *I wonder now...?* A breeze rustled up around her. A peculiar scent seemed to waft in on it. Kaitlin stopped and closed her eyes, taking in deep breaths. Something...something in the trees was reaching out to her. Her heart beat faster. *Come to me, O Great Spirit...* Without opening her eyes, relying solely on her other senses, Kaitlin began walking, following the direction her instinct was leading her. Schala and Frog she knew would wait for her to return. Kaitlin headed in the direction of the setting sun. She stopped at a certain point and felt a comforting warmth envelop her. The warmth had a power that seemed familiar, yet had a unique quality to it. She stood there for some time, taking it all in... Something stirred in the druidess' pocket. A pair of reptilian eyes flashed open. The creature lay there, unmoving, trying to get its bearings. Where was he...? Oh! Yes, of course. He was with that girl, that young druidess... It was Hwer, the Mystic-turned-garden snake who had been biding his time... The snake awakened fully as the power surrounded it. Yes, yes...there was a great magic to it. He could sense it. Yes...perhaps now was the right moment... Hwer curled his scaly lips into something resembling a malevolent smile as he decided what to do. Subj: [ffml] [MW] Crush on Kaitlin Date: 98-10-24 17:07:36 EDT From: druidkaitlin@juno.com (The Druidess Kaitlin) * * * * Smelled like home, it did. Kaitlin breathed in deeply, and opened her eyes. A little thrill flitted through her heart when she saw the familiar Druidic runes engraved on a gravestone-sized marker. She tiptoed up to the spherical stone and ran her fingers lightly over the runes. Old, she thought. Very. I don't recognize all of these . . . Kaitlin ran her fingers through her messy hair exasperatedly and kneeled down to get a closer look. The Elfstones, as always, pulsed in her pocket. She reached for the little leather bag they were encased in and undid the ties, letting the glimmering red Stones tumble into the palm of her hand brightly. What did they want to tell her this time . . . ? The mysteries of such artifacts were always just out of anyone's reach. Well, she thought. Should I invoke them, or should I not? The Druidess shook her head. I'm too inexperienced for this. How she wished Walker Boh was here to advise her. But she hadn't heard from him in a long time, and using the Elfstones at such magnitudes of power would surely draw more than a few powerful monsters to her whereabouts. Kaitlin pocketed the Elfstones. She stood. From what she gleaned, the marker stone was once a cornerstone for some fortress--the first stone laid, taken from . . . hmm. Drat! She couldn't read it. What ghosts lurk here, then? she mused thoughtfully. What souls lived and died . . . ? As if in answer, Kaitlin realized there was someone beside her. She turned with a start and took a step backwards. It was a man, staring whistfully at the marker stone. He was tall, a bit rugged; he looked like some sort of ranger with that Robin Hood hat and the leather clothing. A bow and arrows he had. His face was somewhat craggy, hair light brown, bearded. Why did she recognize him so . . . ? "Well met," she said, waiting for him acknowledge her presence. "Good day, my lady." The man turned to look at her and held out his hand. She took it. "I know what you're wondering. Who am I? Why am I here?" He chuckled. "It's a longer story than you'd ever want to hear, but I can say I've helped the Druids before." Kaitlin opened her mouth to vocalize her surprise, but he silenced her with a wave of his hand. "I am Crispin." Crispin, Kaitlin mouthed, but no voice came out. She lifted her hand to her throat. Where had she heard that name before? "Don't worry, I won't make you guess. Long, long ago . . . I was a soldier of the Elves." He showed her his pointed ears to prove that he was, indeed, Elven, although Kaitlin already believed him. "Ah, yes . . . Crispin! You died while helping the girl get the . . . you . . . died . . . you . . . ?" Crispin nodded solemnly. "Yes, my lady, I am dead, but that never stopped the Druids before--they sent me here, you know." "They? The only Druids are Walker and me." Crispin blinked. "Hold . . . still . . . " he pointed to a tiny snake that was making its way toward her neck. Kaitlin took it gently in her hand. "It's just a snake--augh!" Kaitlin cried out as Crispin grabbed her neck. She gasped for breath, eyes widening, dropping the little green snake. Alright, stay calm, Kaitlin told herself as she gasped for air. Don't close your eyes, stay awake. The grip tightened. "Drop her," a voice rang out. Crispin did as he was told, and Kaitlin tumbled to the ground. She brought up her staff into the bowman's groin, but, amazingly, he didn't flinch. "Feisty little thing," came the voice. A dark figure dropped lithely out of the sky in front of her. "I think I'd like to get to know you better, girlie." Hwer. The Mystic. He dragged her into a standing position with just a thought and a magic spell. "I'm done with you," he said, pointing at "Crispin" who faded into glittering dust, then nothing at all. "You're alive? Dammit." Kaitlin brought up her staff. Wind wooshed around her, lifting her hair. "So you want to get to know me better? Why don't you get to know this first?" She pointed her staff at him, sending a barrage of blue electricity toward him. The wind picked up around them, the spell fizzled, and Hwer stood. Alive. Fit. "Pretty, pretty. Anger becomes you." He crossed his arms. Without a movement from Hwer, Kaitlin was lifted into the air and tossed against a tree. She felt something in her arm crack. "Ugh. Ow." She had lost her staff . . . where was it? With her good arm, she dug into her pockets for her Elfstones. Ripping open the bag, she brought them forth fearlessly. "Okay, let's try this." She summoned their power, felt the light build, and the air burst open. Light darts decended upon Hwer, who screamed as they burrowed under his flesh. Kaitlin was losing strength, as well, and yelled out again in rage, hoping that Schala and Frog would hear her cries. Hwer was crouching, breathing heavily. "I do like you so very much, dear Druidess," he hissed, sending a sweep of darkness toward her. This time she screamed in terror, feeling the pain wash over her, feeling her body being ripped apart . . . |~~~~The Druidess Kaitlin~~~~| Subj: [ffml] [MW] Family talk Date: 98-10-25 11:45:11 EST From: Schala (NOTE: I took some of the stuff about Schala's family history from ch. 1 of Marie Druckenmiller's fanfic, "Before the Black Wind Howls." This may or may not be what other people have deduced from playing CT, but it's the history I've decided to use. It's a good fanfic, I tell you...if anyone knows its URL, please tell me. I've been looking for it for some time. =) ) "Where's Kaitlin?" Frog asked. Schala turned around. The other woman, who, the last time she'd been aware, had been following slightly behind them, was gone. The Mystic shrugged without concern. Kaitlin had done this several times before. "She may have felt something," she replied. She herself had felt nothing, but then again she wasn't as in tune with her daytime surroundings. She was more at home during the night. "We'll just wait for her here." She sat down, and Frog did the same. Schala sighed. "What are you thinking?" Frog asked. "How nice it is, really." She sighed again. "Funny thing is, I never used to like forests and things very much...How much people change over time." She shook her head. "'Tis true," Frog agreed. "But why did you not like the natural world?" She shrugged. "I guess...well, you've seen Zeal...the kingdom, the surroundings...I grew up in the palace, mostly. My parents kept us away from the land below with stories of trolls and other monsters." Her voice lowered. "I found out later that the *real* monsters were within the very walls designed to protect us..." Frog looked at her. "How did you get along with your family?" A smile appeared on Schala's face. "Oh, my family was wonderful," she said. "My mother always used to look after me...my father loved introducing me to the ambassadors and other officials who visited...They were proud of me, especially when I began showing my magic abilities." Then she flushed slightly. "But I knew I wasn't really their pride and joy...I knew they were disappointed at having a girl for their first child..." She gave a small smile and laugh, as if to shrug it off without concern. But it was impossible to completely hide the pain she had felt -- and still did -- when she had realized her parents' feelings. Her smile quickly faded. "But..." Frog faltered slightly at his next words, "you...have a brother." Schala nodded. "Janus," she agreed. "But we have different fathers. After my father died, my mother married a man much younger than she was...Janus was their son..." She looked away and gave a deep sigh, holding back her tears. "I...I really loved him...Janus, I mean..." Even though he knew the answer to the question, Frog asked it anyway. "What happened to him?" She bowed her head. "He...disappeared," she said softly. "When...when my mother discovered Lavos, things began happening...Time Gates began popping up...that's how *you* found Zeal in the first place..." Her tears began flowing. "And Janus...he...came too close to the Mammon Machine one time...A Gate opened...and...he was pulled through." She wiped away her tears, but more came. "I tried to open a Gate after that to get him back, but it was difficult, and I didn't know how to control them as I do now. And my mother, she...she didn't care. By that time she was so intoxicated with power she didn't think about anything else. The only reason she cared about me was because *I* was the one who had the key to the power, and the power responded to me the most..." Schala looked up at the sky. "I never found out what happened to him. I've never really cared about anything since then...all I wanted to do was find him. I feel responsible for his disappearance...I've always thought I could have done something to prevent it..." Her voice lowered, and she began talking more to herself than to Frog, reliving that time. "I even gave him a pendant like mine, thinking it would protect him. What a fool I was! Why didn't I see that the Dreamstone was the key? That's why the Gate opened beneath him...it was reacting to the stone...and he didn't know how to control it...I was such a fool..." She sighed heavily, trying to ease the pain in her heart. "No matter what I do, where I go, there's always a part of me that keeps hoping I'll see him again...even if it's in the afterlife..." Frog took a deep breath as he studied the back of Schala's head. He closed his eyes briefly and opened his mouth as if to say something...then shut it again without saying anything. He laid a hand on her arm. She turned to him, her eyes no longer crying, but bright with unshed tears. She smiled sadly, and it struck him like an arrow through his heart. Not knowing quite what to say, Frog kept silent. Schala looked away again. Suddenly, Schala's senses became alert. She straightened up. "What's wrong?" Frog asked. She motioned for him to be silent. Then they both heard it...a faint scream that came from some distance. They looked at each other, then immediately scrambled to stand up. Schala sensed another being nearby, one that seemed to be like her, yet gave off a strong, deadly aura. A vision came to mind of danger... "This way!" she said, running off. Frog followed. The scream came again. "Kaitlin!" he yelled out as the two of them hacked their way through the undergrowth. "KAITLIIIIN!!..." Subj: [ffml] [MW] Battle with Hwer...again Date: 98-10-28 03:12:25 EST From: Schala Kaitlin fell to the ground, having taken full-on Hwer's Shadowblast. He grinned when he saw her fall. Thinking he had defeated her, he glowered with contempt. "You didn't fight nearly as well this time around!" he spat out. The Elfstones had scattered over the ground. Hwer picked them up, taking the time to rub each one between his hands. When he had the entire collection, he gloated over his new acquisitions. The thought of having so much power in his hands filled him with excitement. But he wasn't done yet. Hwer stalked over to Kaitlin's body. The medallion he had seen before was still around her neck, but it had slipped out and was flat on the ground. Remembering his prior experience, he spelled his hands to protect them from any possible shock or whatever kind of protective magic the Darklord might have put on it. Carefully, he picked it up. The medallion was not glowing -- at least, not like how it did the last time. It had a dull shine to it which faded away. He thought it was perhaps a trick of the late afternoon sun, shining on the medallion in a certain way. Hwer grabbed hold of it and slid the chain over her head. He stood up and stared at it. Yes, it had great power...*that* was why he sensed such an aura coming from one so young. It was all these objects giving off those energy waves, not Kaitlin herself. He looked down at her now, and her power had gone down considerably. Yes, she is weak, he thought contemptuously. Without these, she's *nothing*... But he still felt there was *something* he was missing about the druidess...Something he couldn't quite get a hold of... As Hwer checked Kaitlin's magic, he also received another sensation, coming from behind him. He smiled grimly. "Looks like the reinforcements have arrived," he said aloud, and cackled with glee. Schala's vision had been such a fleeting and jumbled one that it made her run faster. Frog was concerned by Schala's obvious distress, and he knew something had happened to Kaitlin. A faint voice echoed in her mind. *Help...me...* The Mystic's eyes widened in surprise. Could it be...? she thought. But now was not the time to question such things. She merely increased her pace. "Frog...hurry..." Suddenly Schala came to a stop. Frog did as well, wondering what had caught her attention. Then without warning, she crumpled to the ground. "Schala!" He knelt beside her. "What's wrong??" It took almost superhuman effort to raise her head. "Magic...powerful...too strong..." she gasped out. A rustle alerted Frog, and he jumped up, his sword ready. He found himself facing a black-robed mage, looking at him as if the swordsman were a mere roach. "Who are you?!" Frog demanded. "What hast thou done with Schala?!" The man tossed his head. "I am Hwer," he announced arrogantly. He looked at the prone figure on the ground. "So you are the famous Schala," he said. "You're a disgrace to the Mystics. You fight on the wrong side, and against your people. Your powers are of no consequence; I have easily bested you. It would be better to end this charade now!" He raised his hands, but Frog's voice stopped him. "Thou has not yet defeated me," he said. "You must kill me first before you can declare victory!" "If you have the wish to die, then so be it!" Hwer raised the Elfstones aloft. They glowed orange and shot out a bolt of energy toward Frog. He leaped out of the way, toward Hwer, and slashed at him. The Mystic disappeared. Frog swiveled around, trying to find him. "Here I am!" came Hwer's voice, and Frog was suddenly thrown back. Hwer reappeared and smirked. "I am impressed with your ability," he said. "Now let's see how you take...THIS!" He threw the stones into the air, where they floated. Obeying a gesture by the Mystic, the stones surrounded Frog, too quickly for him to react. They shot out yellow beams at him. He managed to duck under one, but was caught by the rest. He yelled out in pain as he felt them run through his body, tearing into him with a power he had never felt before... *Schala...* The faint voice came again in her mind. "Kaitlin?" the Mystic answered aloud. It couldn't be...but it *is*, she thought. *Yes...it's me...* Schala was startled. Then she caught on quickly. **Kait, are you okay?** she thought. *I'm doing okay...but Frog needs help.* **I know...but how are you...?** *Don't ask about that now. Help Frog first, ask questions later.* She gave a mental nod of her head. **Do you have an idea?** *Yes...we have to telekinetically control the Elfstones. Hwer's magic is too strong for me to do it alone...* **How...?** *Open up your mind...relax your guard...Our minds must be one...** Schala did as she was told. She relaxed mentally. A strange sensation entered her mind and seemed to expand. She found herself thinking a million things at once, and understanding them. She saw images of times and places long gone, felt the knowledge and wisdom of great magicians and philosophers, even sensed the emotions of ordinary creatures. It imbued her with power and strength. She felt one with her surroundings. So strange and wonderful was this feeling that Schala perhaps let her mental guard down *too* much... *Now, we're going to move those stones away from him. Imagine the stones moving away, far away from Frog. You take the half of the ring closest to you.* She did so. Schala closed her eyes and pictured the scene: the Elfstones with their energy, Frog caught in the center of their powerful grip. She imagined taking those stones and pulling them away. She imagined them rising away so their power could not reach Frog. She imagined taking them out of reach of Hwer, so he could not use them again... "What...what's going on?!" Hwer demanded. Right before his eyes, the Elfstones were floating away from him, releasing their terrible grip on Frog. They floated up and away and shot over to where Kaitlin lay on the ground. Frog reeled back, but quickly regained himself. The Mystic hissed at the loss of the stones. Frog saw his chance and leaped at Hwer, slashing out. Taken by surprise, the magician could only raise his hands in defense. Frog's sword sliced into his arm. Blood seeped from the wound. Hwer looked astonished. "Blood...MY blood...how...how can this be?!" He looked with renewed anger at the swordsman. "YOU WILL DIE!!" The same bolt of dark energy that he had hit Kaitlin with came forth from his hands. Frog raised the Masamune. The dark force hit the sword and seemed to be absorbed by it. The energy danced around the tip. He pulled the sword back, but he felt the power resisting. Hwer was trying to release the magic, but the Masamune was stopping it. It was a fierce tug-of-war between the two. Soon, however, Frog could feel the Mystic's power weakening. He smiled grimly and, with a strong tug with both hands, pulled the sword free of Hwer's spell. The Mystic fell back. Frog raised the sword, then swung it around, aiming it at Hwer. The dark magic shot from it, arcing straight to the Mystic and bombarding him with his own harsh power. Hwer's screams were terrifying. But he managed to stagger up. "You...have not defeated me...yet!" he shouted. "I...will...not...be... defeated!!!" His body shook, with anger as much as from the black magic that now engulfed him. Schala found herself suddenly freed from the spell that had held her. She ran to Kaitlin's side, who was regaining consciousness. She helped her friend sit up. Hwer staggered forward. "You..." His malevolent glare shifted to the druidess. "You...are NOTHING without those stones of yours...you have no power without them...They are WASTED on you...They should belong to a truly powerful being...like ME! One who has TRUE knowledge, not one who cowardly hides behind the power she pretends to control! "Don't think you've seen the last of me...!" He raised his arms and laughed. With a flash of light, he popped into a black ball and shot off through the trees. Frog sheathed his sword and went over to the women. Schala used a weak cure spell, and Kaitlin felt better. "Who was that?" Frog asked her. "How did he get here...?" The druidess sighed. "I fought against him when we were at Nikeah," she said. "He...defeated me that time as well...I was actually killed, then brought back to life." "And he just went into hiding after that?" Frog asked. "Strange." Schala helped her stand. "I *wondered* where he had gone to," Kaitlin said. "I knew he was too powerful to be taken care of just by me. I guess he was just waiting for another crack at me..." She looked up with determination. "We will meet again...I know it. And when we do, I'll be ready..." The way to meet your fate is to try your hardest to avoid it. --- Wilma Jandoc aka Enya *ICQ: | "Life can only be understood jandoc@hawaii.edu *14710984 | backwards. But it must be lived nabiki_tendo@geocities.com | forwards." http://www2.hawaii.edu/~jandoc | - Binkley, http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/9800 | "Bloom County"