Tavern Tales: Come on in and Have a Drink! Part II

[Vereta]

MUG Shot update:

Willie SEA: Link

Vereta - Final Concept: Link

Vereta's loosely based on me. (mostly the glasses an wild hair.)

[WhoGuru]

"Thank you." Red smiles at William, cleaning her dagger of Scamp blood and surveying her kills. "Bigger than the ones in the village." She ruthlessly shoves the moment when she thought the second Scamp had her to the back of her mind. Didn't do to dwell on those moments.

"Those were stunted." William replies. A moment of worry crosses his mind for their companions left behind. He turns to say something like that to Red and finds her staring intently back the way they came. "What is it?"

She shrugs, closing her eyes and turning an ear to the passage, intent. William, now expecting trouble, feels adrenaline rush into his system again. He silently draws his blade, waiting. As if sensing the tension from him, Red suddenly grins. "It's all right.It's just them. They're coming up the passage now." With a sigh, William re-sheathes his blade and begins to examine their choice of exits to the next level. May as well be constructive while he waits. He prowls the chamber, poking into corners and finally decides the ramp up must be their next choice and who better to scout ahead.

Red watches the assassin start cautiously up the ramp and, a little torn, decides to wait for Rider and Vereta. Odds are William could handle himself above and she hadn't detected any sounds coming from above them. Like William, she too examines the chamber, but with a thief's eyes which are trained to detect other things. Looking back at the ramp, her eye is drawn to the ceiling where something seems out of place. She wanders toward it, hearing her friends getting closer now. As she studies the odd spot on the ceiling, she realises it's a trip wire of some kind and worse, attached to something further up the ramp.

Throwing caution to the wind, Red lunges for the ramp yelling. "William! Stop! Don't move! William?"

[_echo]

Echo, being somewhere in the middle of all this (somehow he went on without anyone knowing) pops his head up from behind a near by bush. Eyes glazed with shock and excitement, along with the larges grin you ever did see on such a strange fellow. Quickly realizing what he was doing, Echo whipped the look of his face and looked around seeing if anyone had noticed him. Silently, Echo put something in his pocket and scurried off down the trail and disappeared over a hill.

[WhoGuru]

Red bounded up the ramp, horrified at finding William impaled to a wall, and all because she hadn't been paying attention. "William!" She rounded a curve and was swept off her feet in an iron grip. She gasped as the air whooshed out of her lungs and a second later, gasped again as an enormous, many pronged mace swept down from the ceiling where she'd been standing.

In her haste to save William, she tripped the trap herself. Craning her head back, she found William's face staring back. "I..uh..came to save you."

William barely contained a laugh, snorting instead, and placed her back on her feet. "So I heard." he whispered. "Which made me look up and spot the damn thing before setting it off. Thank you."

Red self-consciously adjusted her clothing and blades, then kicked the wall. "Maybe we can never mention to the guild how a master thief accidentally tripped that thing, eh?" She smirked up at William. "Wouldn't want to ruin my bad-ass rep."

"Of course not." Just then, Rider and Vereta sprinted into sight, skidding to a stop in front of the deadly weapon.

"Red?" Rider gasped. "We heard you yelling. You alright? Both of you?"

"We're fine." William slid a hasty wink at Red's discomfort. "Mis-communication I think. Now, since every daedra in the tower must know somethings' amiss, what say we carry on." He gave Vereta a hard look. "Are you well to go on?"

Vereta nodded, much more composed than he had been down below. "Fine now, thank you." He said softly. "I was...a bit out of sorts. Now, there should be large, double door on the next level of this ramp." He once again withdrew an old tome from his pack. "That will lead us back into the bloodwell, where the...fountain is. That's the way we want to go."

William nodded, seeing the look exchanged by Vereta and Rider. Deciding some mysteries could be solved later, he led the way upward, Red close on his heels, now actively searching for traps and listening for pursuers.

[DarkRider]

The companions quickly made their way through the upper halls of the tower; their force combined easily mowed down the daerda in their path. The Rider had clearly recovered while waiting below with Vereta, and his fresh blade offered a break to the assassin and the thief. Vereta gained strength with every moment away from the halls of madness. His mind cleared and he scoured through his tome to guide their ascent. In no time they had made their way to the peak of the tower and the sigil stone gleamed brightly from it's roost atop the column of fire.

"It's all yours, Red," William said through gritted teeth. He could feel the warm ebbing of blood flowing from a concealed wound from his recent impaling; it was draining him, but not enough to take him out of the battle before it was finished. The sound of scamps gathering in the halls behind them. Red hurried to the top of the platform and reached into the icy flame to grab the sigil stone in both hands. The room filled with a blinding white light. Their senses filled with a deafening roaring soundand the world of Oblivion began to dissolve in the glow. The Rider's head began to swim, he heard his name called from somehwere far away, and then he felt himself being drawn away from the light and into the darkness.

The Rider awoke in darkness. He had expected to appear outside the tavern, but there was nothing in the void. His senses immediately detected the heat all around him. A red light glowed faintly from somewhere in the distance.

"Welcome to the Oubliette, Warrior," a voice boomed in the darkness, "You and your companions have done well, but that was no ordinary Oblivion gate you entered," Rider reached for the hilt of his katana, "It was a gateway to my realm and you will find leaving is not as simple as claiming a sigil stone."

"Where are my friends," he demanded darkly to the nothingness.

The voice replied cruelly, "Lost...somewhere in the void the same as you."

Rider drew his blade, "So now what?"

Only silence answered him. Somehow they had been transported to another realm and scattered, his only hope was to find his friends and then a way home. He wondered how they had fared.

[WillieSea]

As the Oblivion realm faded away, William closed his eyes and rested. When the vertigo ended, he opened them, not to the tavern, but a dark cell and a stinking pit in the middle. A voice was heard, seeming to come from everywhere, and nowhere at the same time. It named this place as the Oubliette. William did not acknowlege the voice, knowing if there was intelligence behind it, it would only mock him. An Oubliette was a nearly inescapable place without help from an outside source. There would be nobody searching for a missing Assassin.

The gash in Williams side was painful, and needed attending to.The fight up the tower did not help the wound any. It was a good thing he was wearing his specially enchanted light armor as it had deflected most of the force from the scythe blade trap. Fortunately, no bones were broken. Taking wrappings from his small belt kit, he dressed the wound and cast what healing magic he had on it. It would be enough to keep it from becomming infected, and it would heal over time. Apparently, he had plenty of that.

It was time for his special "Dungeon Delver" spell, which combined Night Eye and Life Sense into one convenient and long lasting spell. There were no life forces in range of the spell. The walls of the cell slowly came into focus as the magic intensified the light reaching his eyes.

The walls of the cell were high, and the door was high on the wall, up at the ceiling. If only he had time to bring his gear with him, it would be a simple task to latch a hook onto the door and climb up.

Looking down the pit, only skeletons and excretment could be seen piled at the bottom. The walls of the pit were smooth, so no passage was hidden down there.

William sat down to ponder his options and take inventory of his possessions...

[WillieSea]

William started awake. His side was feeling much better, although the healing magic really wore him out. He was not sure how long he rested there, but it was time to find a way out.

Being an assassin by trade, he started climbing the wall on the opposite side of the room that the door was on. It was not built as smooth as the wall with the door. Slowly and cautiously, William climbed the wall. There was a slight ledge that went around the top of the room, which was traversed hand over hand. The door lock was easily picked and opened.

The passageway lead off in one direction. William slowly followed it, not knowing what to expect. It soon opened into a circlular room with tunnels leading off in a spoke-like fashion. William supposed that each of his friends was possibly down seperate tunnels. In the center of the room was a magical gate, probably the portal home.

[DarkRider]

The Rider had walked for what seemed like an eternity in the long dark. He had found what appeared to be nothing but a dark room, was infact a labyrinth of tunnels and turns that sometimes opened into wider expanses. The most recent was what appeared to be an underground forest filled with blackened trees that oozed a sticky white sap. The ground level was aglow with an unnatural mist and below the fine fog was a few inches of murky black water. At least the glowing mists offered some light.

Rider walked slowly, trying not to disturb the water too much. There were strange otherworldly noises echoing all around. He could see flickers of shadow and movement in the trees ahead. Probably small animals of some kind, but he didn't want to risk catching their attention anyway.

Suddenly a voice, though faint and distant broke the silence.

"William." the voice called again, "Red? Anyone?"

Rider looked to the trees, the shadows were moving quickly now, he wasn't the only one who had heard Vereta's calls. He cursed under his breath and started at a run toward the voice. All at once the creatures in the trees began to howl and call to one another: he knew a battle cry when he heard one. As he ran he could hear the creatures pursuing in the trees above. The forest cavern was massive, but as he neared the other side Rider saw Vereta standing in the murk looking disoriented.

Vereta looked relieved, "Rider!"

"Run!" came the onlly reply as Rider grabbed Vereta's bicep and pushed him toward the next tunnel. Vereta realized they were being pursued and started running into the dark tunnels ahead. At least he wasn't alone.

[WillieSea]

William marked the tunnel he came out of, then proceeded to check a short distance down each of the other tunnels.

A faint thunking noise could be heard from one of the tunnels. The noise got louder as William made his way down the tunnel. It soon opened into a prison block, and sitting in one of the cells, throwing an Oblivion rock he had picked up at the ceiling and catching it, was Echo. Looking around to make sure it was safe, William beckoned to Echo in hushed tones. "Echo...".

Echo looked around, finally spotting William. "Hey, William, is that you? Get me out of this cell. I broke my last pick trying to get that lock open."

After making a complete survey of the room for danger, William took a look at the lock on the door. "Hmmm, this is a fake lock.", he whispered to Echo. "Just a second, let me think...".

Echo looked at the door lock again. It looked like a lock to him, but the broken lockpicks on the floor supported Williams unusual statement.

"Ahh," William says as he runs his hands on the bars of the door. "This door hinges on the lock side, and opens on the hinge side." William finds the secret latch and starts to open the door, then grunts in pain and falls to the floor on one knee, clutching his side.

Echo pulls the door open the rest of the way and rushes to Williams side to help him to his feet. The Assassin appeared to be hurt more than he was letting on.

William motioned Echo towards the exit tunnel, and slowly made his way back down the tunnel to the central domed room. He told Echo about their situation on the way.

[Vereta]

Vereta sprinted through the inky forest, Rider closing in behind him. A creature leaped at him and they tumbled to the ground. While falling he stretched his arms out to break his fall, rolled forward, and tossed the creature off, continuing to run the entire time. He looked back to see Rider leap over it and continue after him. He also saw that the inky creatures were still following. They looked eerie, almost like a wave of blackness, a shadow.

Vereta panted as he ran and realized he was almost out of energy and Rider didn't seem any better either. The creatures were gaining. Once again, one of the creatures leaped out at them and caught Rider's heel. Rider tumbled forward and the creatures quickly engulfed him. Vereta screeched to a halt and turned back. He stopped at the mass of blackness. Eyes peeked out from the darkness and a loud screech erupted from it. The blackness erupted into a wave of darkness. He looked up at it, frozen and wide-eyed as it crashed down upon him, engulfing him, swallowing him.

He rose slowly from the floor, his eyes widening, and glowing white. His arms, which were limply hanging, slowly rose. His hands were charged with glowing electricity, pulsating along his arms, active. He opened his mouth and roared out bringing both his hands forward in a massive wave of a lightning bolt. The wave of darkness was engulfed and light and a final screech rang out. the room slowly dimmed into darkness. Vereta lied still on the ground....

[DarkRider]

Rider came up, his blade arched over over his head as the creatures fled back to the shadows and away from the mysterious light. His eyes quickly fell on Vereta, who was lying lieflessly on the ground. He hurried to his side and turned the younger man over,

"Vereta," he called his name quietly, shaking him. Slowly, his eyes fluttered open and he stared blankly at his companion.

"I'm on the floor again," he said obviously.

Rider couldn't help but laugh, "Aye. Are you alright? Can you stand?"

The younger man took a moment then nodded, "I think so."

Rider help Vereta to his feet and when he was satisfied he could stand, he pushed Vereta toward the tunnelway ahead.

"That's quite a trick," Rider said nonchalantly.

Vereta looked at him in confusion, "What trick?"

He hesitated, then shook his head, "Nevermind, let's stop here a minute, catch our breath, eh?"

Vereta nodded and leaned against the wall, "What were those things? Where are we?" he asked looking around for some kind of direction, "I know I read this tome correctly, pulling the sigil stone should have sent us back to the tavern."

Rider adjusted his long coat and took a cursory inventory of what equipment he had on him that might be useful, "That was no ordinary Oblivion gate, I think it was a net."

"A net?"

"Aye, a trap for catching prey," Rider said seriously, "We need to find the others and get out of here."

"Alright, where do we look?" Vereta looked down the two corridors ahead of them, "I don't think splitting up would be a good idea."

Rider thought it over, "Agreed. We'll take the turns systematically, left, right, left, etc. That way we won't end up in a circle and eventually we'll come out of the labyrinth."

The two companions started down the left hand passage.

"What do you suppose is on the other side of the labyrinth?" Vereta asked hesitantly.

Rider's brow furrowed in concentration, "Not a pint I'd wager. I don't know, but anywhere is better than here."

There was still no sign of Red or of Sir William, and the assassin had been injured he was sure of it; he hoped they were still alive.

[WhoGuru]

Red came too slowly, her head feeling as if it was full of cotton. She had closed a few Oblivion gates before but had never experienced this. A disembodied voice 'explained' her predicament. Rather than respond, she snorted and decided imprisonment on her feet was better than her back. She tried to rise and was momentarily confused when she could mover neither her arms nor legs. Struggling harder, it was as if they were tied down.

"Wonderful." She muttered. The light in her chamber was dim, barely enough to see by. Carefully, she turned her hands down, trying to get a feel for her restraints. Even more confusing, her palms contacted some sort of sticky substance, stringy. She tried shifting her weight again and, swallowing a moment's panic, found her right palm had become trapped as well.

The more she struggled, the more she felt as though she was lying on a taut blanket stretched in the air. She stopped moving, lay perfectly still as a faint sound came to her ears. Something was moving in the chamber with her, breathing, somewhere far above her. �Red closed her eyes, willing them to fully adjust to the meager amount of light. Opening her eyes, she just managed to turn her head to the side and swallowed a scream.

She was laying spread-eagle in a massive web, as if dropped in the center. She quickly controlled herself and stopped struggling. That would only serve to attract whatever was above her. That her movements had not already warned it of her presence was a small miracle. For a moment, she simply concentrated on not screaming. The fearless master thief had but one real terror in the world and they crawled on eight legs. She'd passed up many a shiny bauble in a ruin rather than face her fear.

Now she was left with little choice. Mostly calm now, she used her still free left hand to try and reach the pocket in her leather pants. She kept a small knife there for just such occasions. If she could reach it, it was plenty sharp enough to cut her free. While she eased her hand over, she ranged her eyes around the cavern. She could see precious little above, which meant that was most likely not the way to go and, as that's where the noises had come from, it was absolutely not the way she wanted to go, which left down.

She muffled a cry of triumph when she felt her hand close about the hilt of the knife. Easing it free, she flipped it backwards and began sawing at the fibers that held that arm. Every movement of the web raised her fear, forcing her to listen to the point of pain for any sound from above. Even the occasional nick of the knife's blade against her wrist could not evoke a sound from her.

Freeing her left arm, she slowly rolled to her right side. So slowly it seemed to take forever, disturbing the web as little as possible. On her side now, she could see below her as she worked on her right arm. A slightly brighter light seemed to emanate from a tunnel opening at the bottom. She judged the distance as a good thirty feet.

Lucky for her she happened to have something almost as good as a rope handy. She freed her other arm and, with a little wobbling, managed to sit up to reach her legs. Again, the strands vibrated as she moved, she paid it no mind and sawed at the fibers holding her legs. She cut straight up the side of her body, planning on falling through and using the freed lengths to bungie down to the floor. Blood from her wrists seeped into her hand, making the hilt slippery. Grimly, she tightened her grip and continued.

Suddenly, an explosive sound came from above. Red froze, listening as something massive began click-clacking on the walls, moving toward her. A small squeal of sound escaped her, more of a sob as she frantically hacked at the web. Her right leg was taking more damage than the left in her haste but time was not on her side. The web shook wildly and, as if in slow motion, she turned her head and saw it. A massive creature, more than eight legs she was sure, but unmistakable all the same. Worse, the misshapen head of a woman was hissing back at her. A Spider Daedra, of a size she had never seen before. It began working it's way toward, salivating drops from razor teeth that fell like acid on the floor below to hiss.

Red cut the last of her ties just as it reached her and with a scream, she dropped through the strands and fell to the floor below. She had missed her grab for the web on her way through and crashed into the ground with a grunt of pain.

For a moment she simply lay, regaining her breath. Breath quickly lost again when several drops of the Daedra's venom splatted onto her leg. Looking up, she found it worming it's way through the hole she created.

Red gasped and, bolting to her feet, limped and ran to the tunnel entrance near her. With a sob, she dashed inside, seeing it was far too small for the Spider Daedra to follow.

Still unwilling to risk being caught again, she ran on, ignoring the growing pain in her leg and the blood seeping down her hands. Dimly, she wondered if the others had been pulled here with her, were in fact somewhere near. A friend would be a useful thing now, she thought, and ran on.

[WillieSea]

Echo and William waited. They listened for a few minutes at a time at each of the tunnel entrances. Echo motioned William over to where he was intently listening. He had heard a shriek, he was sure of it. Since William did not hear anything, he surmised that perhaps the cooked cheese gave Echo a better ear for sounds...

The friends started off down the tunnel in search of a friend, hopefully. In this vile place, it could very well be another trap to ensnare them.

Echo knew that they had to find all their friends before they could leave this place. He had tried to use the gateway in the center room when William was occupied checking one of the tunnels. A voice only whispered in his ear, "Only with thy friends can you make your escape!". This proclamation was followed by an evil and drawn out hissing laugh.

William soon heard the sound of heavy breathing and the sound of a human making a shuffling gait up the passage to them. He stopped to a moment to analyze the sound, when Echo, with his enhanced hearing shouted "Red!".

Both Echo and William lunged down the hallway towards the sound. The passage was much longer than they expected. Luckily, Williams Dungeon Delver spell gave him sight in the dark so he could easily traverse the passage without harm. The passage wound back and forth, but there were no side passages off of it. An alcove would open once in a while, with an alter and chest on it.

The lure of possible treasure was the last thing on Williams mind at this point, with friends in danger and a burning side.

Suddenly, he detected the life force of a human up ahead. It was Red, struggling to stay on her feet as she shuffled forward.

But, there was something else, small dots of life were coming up the tunnel behind her, close to the floor. Even though his side was killing him again, he quickly bypassed Red telling her to keep moving. They were the conjured small spider daedra! But these were the biggest ones he had ever seen.

Knowing a fireball in the passage would be a bad idea, he quickly sent a lighting bolt into them, incinerating them. The boom deafened them, and sent Echo to his knees in pain. It could not be helped. If the daedra had attacked then in their weakened state and paralyzed them, the end would have come quickly.

Exhausted, Red slid to the floor. William came back up the passage slowly, blood was once again seeping from his wound. They had to keep moving, the Spider daedra would send more minions up the passage for them. They would not survive long against an onslaught like that.

William looked down at Red, who had spider webs on her, and cuts on her extremities. Wincing in his own pain, William used the last of his magicka to cast a healing spell on Red. It was enough to close the wounds from bleeding. He then used the last of his specially made bandages to bind the worst of her cuts.

Red just look straight ahead as William administered the healing arts on her. The shock of facing her fears in the spider room still left her numb...

William told Echo to help Red to her feet, they needed to get back to the central dome room before more daedra came up the passage. William could barely carry his own weight, let alone helping Red. They slowly made their way back up the tunnel, with William taking the rear. A glance behind him every few steps would let him know if more daedra minions were on the way. None came as they neared the dome...

[DarkRider]

Hours seemed to pass as Rider and Vereta made their way through the labyrinth. They came to the end of a long tunnel which curved to the left. Vereta groaned and slumped against the wall, "we're going in cicles," he moaned exhaustively.

Rider frowned, "That's not possible."

"Well, I know you had a left, right, left plan," Vereta said pointedly, "but look, this one only goes left and we just went left so....circle."

"Alright then," Rider answered in a friendly and yet dangerous tone, his brogue grew thicker, "why don' you wait here and I'll pick you up when I come back around."

"Sorry," Vereta mumbled, detecting the sarcasm in his companion's voice. He was in no shape to fight and felt drained physically and mentally. The last thing he wanted was to pick a fight with an armed ranger.

Rider sighed, "It's alright, Mate," he could understand Vereta's frustration at their predicament, he shared it. Rider heaved a heavy sigh and leaned back against the tunnel wall behind him. A cracking sound erupted all around and the wall fell away. Unable to correct his balance, Rider fell backward, head first, into the new chasm.

"Rider!" Vereta leapt forward to catch ahold of his friend, but he only succeeded in propelling them both into the tunnel. The chasm formed a chute, mruky black water rushed through the pipeline, and the two companions were swept along with it.

They slid down the pipeline trying desperately to get a grip on something to slow their momentum, but they were tossed about like ragdolls as the chute became wider and steeper.

Sir William, Red, and Echo made their way through the passages, realizing that they were in a labyrinth of some kind. With the spider daedra fast becoming a bad memory, the three friends stopped to rest. Echo looked at William nervously, the assassin's face looked greyed and haggard. He had never seen him look that way before. Red didn't seem much better. The assassin and thief were both wounded and they needed to get home.

They paused to rest beside an underground river. The flow of the water was subtle but enough clean some of the murk from the surface. There was an irridescent blue glow emanating from small crystals in the surrounding rocks, and under a different circumstance it might have been pleasant. Echo's thoughts were interrupted as his sensitve ears detected an approaching sound.

"William, Red, something is coming this way," he said softly.

Despite his injury and fatugued, William stood quickly, "Where?"

Echo shook his head in puzzlement, "I don't know...it...it sounds like it's coming from above."

William listened. For long ,oments he heard nothing over the persistant rumble of the nearest drain, bu then he heard what sounded like a long howl, The rumble of water from the pipe grew louder and the howl increased with it. William drew his power to his palms, ready to fight. He became aware that Red had stood up behind him, weakened, but poised for battle. The howl grew louder. Water suddenly poured violently from the overhead drain, with a rush it spilled into the previously lazy river. Two forms dropped from the pipe with a yell and vanished below the surface. They quickly reappeared at the surface.

"Whoo!" Vereta exclaimed, a big grin splitting his face.

The Rider shook his head roughly as if to shake the water out of his eyes. The two companions quickly spotted their friends on the shoreline.

Rider smiled, "I see how you are, just lounging about while we do all the stunt work!" he said sarcastically as he started swimming to shore. William and Red let their guards down and returned to their seats, resuming a well needed rest. Echo helped Vereta out of the water.

"They're injured," Echo reported as Rider approached. Rider slid out of his long coat and dropped it in a sopping heap on the floor. His shook the last of the water out of his hair before crouching next to William.

"Enjoy your swim?" the assassin asked wryly.

Rider shrugged, "It wasn't a swin as much as a fall. How bad is it?"

William finally pulled back his cloaked to reveal his angry red wound. It was oozing blood slowly. Rider reached into his satchel and withdrew a small vial. He twisted the cap off with his teeth and dripped a few drops onto the wound. The wound hissed and William grit his teeth to bear the pain of it. His side felt as if it was on fire, but within moments the heat subsided, taking the pain with it. William looked down, surprised to find his wound had closed completely.

"How did...?" he began.

"Not all magic comes from Men," Rider said.

[WhoGuru]

William let out a surprised burst of laughter and rose smoothly, pleased with the return of his health. "thank you, friend." He clasped Rider's fore-arm in gratitude. Vereta had dripped his way over to Red, still sitting against the wall. She smiled at him.

"Hello, V." Her voice was soft, a bit hollow. Vereta placed a hand on her cheek and withdrew it with a hiss.

"What is it?" Rider asked. Red looked tired, a bit banged up, but otherwise undamaged to him.

Vereta stood, leaving Echo to sit by her and went to the others. "She's been poisoned I think. That white stuff all over her, what is it?"

"She ran afoul of a massive Spider Daedra." William told them how they had found her. "I healed her wounds as best I could, applied bandages. How could she be poisoned, it never caught her."

"Venom." Red replied, having overheard. She used Echo's help to stand, forcing herself upright and pointed to her leg. "Dripped on me from above. It's been burning ever since."

Rider quickly went on one knee beside her. "With your permission?" He asked warily, knowing her mercurial temper. She chuckled softly and nodded. He found the holes in her pants from the venom. Slitting them open, he found angry red weals, long red lines forking outward. The wounds themselves were closed, probably with William's healing. He probed the marks, forcing a gasp from Red. She steadied herself on his shoulder. William winced at her pain, mentally berating himself for missing something in his healing of her.

"No good." She hissed between her teeth. "I know. We have nothing here to cure this poison." On force of will alone, she straightened. "Not your fault, William." She placed an unsteady hand on his shoulder. "Nothing you could have done for this, unless you happen to have a cure for Spider Daedra Venom on hand. We need to go back to the central chamber and get out of here." Rider glanced at William, seeing the knowledge in his eyes. The longer they waited, the more hold the venom would have over her. Her best chance was a hasty escape. Rider removed a leather tie from his pouch and used it to tie a make shift tourniquet above the wounds in hope it would slow the poison's advance.

"Let's go." He said gruffly. As one, they moved back into the tunnel, heading once more to the dome and their route home. Red's stumbling became more frequent as they walked, to the point she had begun walking with a hand along the wall to steady herself. She caught Rider's concerned look and smiled.

"Haven't felt like this since I spent a night at Sheogorath's shrine during the festival of the mad." She chuckled, ending in a grimace. "No fun stealing from lunatics. They don't even notice." Rider laughed as well.

Ahead, William led the way. His dungeon delving spell giving him far better sight than the others. As he walked, he began to get a sense something was not right. He stopped suddenly, Red banging into his back with a muttered 'Sorry.' He looked at what was ahead of them in confusion. "The tunnel has changed." He rasped.

"What?" Vereta stepped up. "Changed how?"

"You're right." Echo too looked ahead. "That passage curved the other way when we came through. Now what?"

William looked at Rider who shrugged. "We have little choice I think except to see where this new passage leads." William agreed and once again lead the way. Red was wheezing softly now, eyes closed as she used her hand to follow the wall. "Red?" Rider stepped up, placing a hand under her shoulder. She shook her head.

"Keep going." She tried not to let despair overwhelm her and focused on not letting the venom pull her under. "We have...to keep going." She opened her eyes and started forward again, Rider only a step behind. Vereta was hastily thumbing through yet another tome pulled from his pack. He'd been through several as they walked and now reached for another, a sheen of desperation on his face as he frequently looked back at Red.

William signaled ahead. "Something up here. Not the dome. Come look at this, Rider."

Rider gave Red a pat on the shoulder as he passed and went to see what new obstacle faced them.

[WillieSea]

When Rider met up with William, a look of concern veiled his face.

William asked in hushed tones, "Do you have any potions to restore magicka? I know a few cure poison spells, since poison can be part of my job. But I have drained my magicka reserves and would need rest to recuperate it. I don't think Red has that kind of time left."

Rider searched his supplies and came up with a lesser power version of Restore Magicka. "I don't have much use for magicka, being a warrior" Rider replied. "Sorry".

"It will have to do." William took the potion, and carefully drank its contents. Feeling a bit restored, he made his way over to Red and conjured a cure poison on her. With so low a magicka to draw on, the spell partially worked before fizzling out. William was mad at himself for using up all his magicka, and mad at himself for not taking his usual adventuring supplies before entering the gate. One should always expect the unexpected when 'traveling'.

Red, startled, looked up into the concerned eyes of her friend William. Looking intently, she noticed one tear streak down Williams cheek. He quckly turned his head, sending it flying into the river.

With Reds approval, William checked the poisoned leg. The poison was much weaker now, and had reversed its spread slightly. They should now have time to get Red to safety before the poison caused any permanent damage.

In an attempt to not sound concerned, Williams voice was a bit gruff when he said to Red, "That should slow the poison so we can get you to safety. Your going to be fine."

William knew they would have to find the exit soon, or some way to replenish his magicka reserves for a proper cure poison spell. He was not going to leave any of his friends behind, even if it killed him (which it almost had).

Meanwhile, Rider was checking the situation ahead with the help of Echo...

[DarkRider]

Rider stood staring at what lay ahead. Vereta stood to his left flipping through a tome and Echo shifted nervously to his right.

"What is it?" Echo asked quietly.

Ahead of them stood a long suspension bridge spanning a swirling vortex of water fed from multiple waterfalls cascading over the rocks on all side. Rider's face was contorted in deep thought. Vereta suddenly gasped slightly and tugged at Rider's sleeve.

"Look at this," he said holding up the tome. There was an ancient drawing that bore a strange resemblance to the vortex ahead, "It give no clues to where we are but it calls this the Convergence of Time. Supposedly, this is the central force that controls time in the Universe."

"Which Universe?" Rider asked evenly.

Vereta withdrew a moment and flipped through the pages, "It, it doesn't say."

Echo leaned over the edge of the precipice, "What would happen if we fell in?"

Rider pulled him back from the edge, "DON'T fall in."

Vereta had been looking at the bridge warily, "It looks like a dangerous crossing," he glanced back to where William was tending Red's wounds, "How will Red get across?"

"One of us can carry her," Rider moved toward the bridge, "I'll cross first on my own and see if it will hold."

"What if it won't...you know hold?" Echo asked.

"Then I'll guess we'll find out what happens if we fall in," Rider answered in exasperation.

"Don't kill me," Echo said quietly.

William stopped adminstering Red's wounds and followed Rider to the mouth of the long wooden bridge. Above the roar of the swirling vortex, they could hear it creaking ominously. No one could see what lay on the other side, even with his sight enhanced William had no idea what lay beyond the bridge.

"Sure you want to do this?" he asked the younger man.

Rider looked at William, then back to the vortex, "No, but I'm doing it."

William nodded, "Take your time, test each board before putting your weight on it."

Rider nodded and started across.

[WillieSea]

William watched Rider carefully pick his way across the bridge.

Looking around the chamber for danger, William spotted unusual movement in the water. Looking closer, it appeared to be a fish at first. But then he recognized they were water atronachs. He had never seen one before, and had only read about them in the monestary he was raised in. The same monks who had taught him the healing arts. That seemed like an eternity ago.

Suddenly, an atronach swam up one of the waterfalls, inadvertently spashing some water on William, who tried to duck the spash. Only a drop hit him, but it caused an unusual sensation in him.

His friends watched in amazement as the fine wrinkles that etched Williams face smoothed, his greying hair turned reddish blonde. He fell to his knees on the floor in pure agony!

Looking up at his friends who rushed to his side, they stopped in their tracks with shocked looks on their faces. One drop of that water had taken 20 years off the assassins life. If the splash of water had hit him full, it would have removed him from time itself! This was a very dangerous room to be in.

William sensing something was wrong, queried his friends. He then yelled a warning to Rider who was crossing the span...

[WhoGuru]

William watched as Rider eased onto the span, testing each step with a firm stomp. Tension sang through Rider's body as he moved forward. He hoped this place was a random encounter and not another trap. The boards creaked beneath him, but held firm. What was more worrying was the way the bridge swayed, buffeted by air currents from the surrounding falls. He was forced to keep a firm grip on the rope rails to maintain his balance. This did not bode well for whoever would help Red across.

Finally, after what seemed hours, he reached the other side and stepped onto firm ground again. He could no longer see the others, too far away and the mist obscured his vision. This side of the bridge looked like the other more or less.He yelled back at them, and heard nothing in response. The noise from the falls was louder here and swallowed any response they may have made.

Resigned, he stepped back out on the span to return, knowing they would not cross until they knew what had become of him.

On the other side, William writhed on the floor and gasped as finally the pain eased from his body. Echo and Vereta gathered closer as William yelled out to warn Rider.

"William?" Echo asked. "You in there?"

The assassin grunted and slowly and stiffly crawled to his knees. "Rider. Warn him." he managed. Looking up, he found Red had slipped past them and onto the bridge. "Red!" She ignored him. Obviously she had decided she was the most expendable, being injured already and took the risk herself. William stopped Vereta and Echo from following until they knew what had happened to Rider. As they watched, the swaying bridge drove Red to her knees. She struggled back up, eyes on the water for another Atronach. Quickly, she disappeared into the mists.

Hours seemed to pass, though it was only minutes. William saw another Water Atronach impossibly swim up the falls, water splashing in its wake. He wondered if perhaps the water that had hit him was merely an accident, they seemed to take no notice of those by the bridge. Perhaps if they were quiet as they crossed, they could make the other side unharmed.

Suddenly, William saw a shape lurch out of the mist. It was Rider, Red tossed over one shoulder like a sack of potatoes. He too was watching the water now and he quickly made his way to land.

"Well. That was interesting." Rider smiled and carefully placed Red on the ground by William. "She's fine I think, took a little header over the railing when we were spit at."

William breathed a sigh and pretended not to notice as Rider studied his now youthened face. "We're you making noise when they attacked you?" He asked.

Rider nodded. "Red was yelling for me like a banshee, trying to warn me. Was it the noise? Just before I crossed back, I yelled out to you."

Vereta nodded. "Yes. They react to noise." He had a new tome in his hands. "Or so the legends say. If we're quiet..."

"Vereta." William said, struggling to his feet and pulling Red up with him. "One of these days you're going to have to tell me how you fit all that in a bag that small." Vereta blushed and replaced the book. Rider helped William arrange Red over his shoulder and stepped out onto the bridge. "Silence. Remember." He cautioned, and started across.

[Vereta]

Vereta looked out at the bridge. he crouched down a pulled his sturdy leather boots up on his feet, making them a nit more comfortable. He turned his head to look at the others and noticed how ill she really looked. It was time to trek out to the other side of the bridge. He turned to them one las time before stepping out the bridge.

"I'll go first." He announced.

Not waiting for an answer he stepped out onto the bridge and disappeared into the mist. The others looked out into the mist, blankly, tired of this mess.

"Let's go." Willie said, breaking the silence.

(hint: pictures are hidden in the writing.)

[WillieSea]

With Vereta already crossing the bridge, Rider stood up and said, "Well, lets go. We don't want him getting lost!".

William and Echo helped Red onto Riders back. William followed him to help steady him as they crossed the swaying span. Echo took the rear, a bit behind. They all watched for the Water Atronachs.

One foot after the other, one step at a time, seemingly for ages, they finally crossed the bridge without further incident.

Vereta was just coming back down the passage after scouting it out. He was excited! The domed room was a short walk away. They would soon be home again!

Everyone walked down that last passageway, and entered the domed room. The magical gate still glowed in the center of the room. William sighed in relief. He had feared that the gate would be gone.

As the entire party neared the gate, its glow intensified, as if it was drawing in power.

Hoping it finally led home, they all walked into the gateway. There was a sensation of movement, a slight nausea, and a bright light that filled their weary eyes...

Then the tavern was before them once again. William told the group to help Red, he had something to get from his room.

With his newfound energy of youth, William dashed inside the tavern and went straight for his room. He pulled a powerful potion of cure poison and healing from his cupboard. Dashing back downstairs, he pulled the stopper on the potions and one after the other, helped Red drink the elixirs.

A few moments later, Red started looking better. They brought her into the tavern and sat her in one of the chairs by the fire.

A rich stew was brought forth for everyone and they all ate in silence. The group had been through a lot, and there was much thinking to do. Who was the mysterious man that Red had met here? Why was an Oblivion gate opened outside the tavern? What forces has conspired to sent the group to the trapped dimension, and for what purpose? Was it a simple trap, or a test?

What-ever the answers were, William was not going anywhere without his adventuring backpack and enchanted jewelry...

[_echo]

A look of sadness drew across Echo's face. He had realized that he had lost his sack of tools and loot he had plundered within the gate. Suddenly, he looks up, "Who got the sigil stone?"

Everyone in the room stared at Echo. Wondering what on Nirn would make him think of something like that at a time like this. Seeing the looks on everyones faces, Echo looked down again to sulk in his grief of his lost goodies.

[WillieSea]

After finishing his meal, William stood up and carefullly pulled a small ruck-sack from his back. He opened it and dumped some small trinkets on the table. Gold, gems and jewelery spilled over the table. Taking a few choice items, William simply stated, "Help yourselves."

With a wink and a grin, he headed upstairs for a good long rest...

[_echo]

Echo, being the avid collector he is, jumped after the table before William was even finished speaking. He ruffled through the small pile, picking out a few items here and there. Once done, he rushed to the darkest corner in the room to sort and categorize hes new stash.

[WhoGuru]

In his room, William stretched luxuriously on his bed, reveling in the chance, finally, to rest. The quiet of his room was punctuated by happy noises from the tavern room downstairs; Laughter, glasses clinking, he even heard what had to be Red's voice singing something rollicking and raunchy for a short time. Slowly, his mind slowed and he began to drift off.

Just as sleep was about to take him away, a voice burst into his slumber, jerking him back to wakefulness with a gasp. The voice had gone. There was nothing again but the sounds from below as he bolted up in his bed.

"Just a dream." He muttered to himself. "A bad dream." and started to lay down again when the voice returned.

"Oh Assassin, did you think my Oubliette was that easy to escape?" Hideous laughter filled his chamber, pounding in his ears. "I told you escaping my realm would not be so easy." William jerked to his feet, grabbing his weapons and trying to understand what was happening.

'But we're home." He argued.

"Are you?" The voice chuckled. William's eyes were drawn to his window. Normally it was a peaceful view of the stables. Now, the image was running as if wet with rain, and changing. As he watched the quiet evening drained away to be replaced by a view of the Temporal falls they had narrowly escaped, then wavered again coming to rest finally on a single bright eye, staring in at him. "Now, assassin. You and your companions must yet find a way to escape me...if you can." They eye dissipated leaving only blackness behind. Grabbing his adventurer's pack, William dashed for the stairs and his friends.

Below, Rider and Vereta were laughing at Red's latest song and toasting her returned good health. Though still pale, she was much improved. Echo was fondling his new found wealth and humming happily to himself. William thundered down the stairs into this happy scene, pale, eyes wide.

"We're not back." He said, the faint sound of panic in his voice. "It's a trick. Whoever...whatever trapped us in that Oubliette, just spoke to me again upstairs. This is a fantasy."

Rider's mouth hung open in disbelief. He suddenly worried that the odd waters from those falls had done some unforeseen damage to his friend. "William, we are home. We're safe. We escaped, you see?" He gestured around him. "You healed Red and went upstairs."

"No, warrior." The voice broke into the tavern like a thunder. "You are still mine. Nothing you have experienced is real." Laughter followed.

Rider gasped and the others rose suddenly, gathering together in fear and confusion. "What's happening?" Vereta's voice wavered and he clutched his bag to his chest, glasses askew. Red jerked as if hit.

"The potions." She whispered, hoping she was wrong. "The potions William gave me, they were real." She nodded to herself. "I feel better."

"Little thief, you feel better because I wish it so...for now." The voice laughed again and the room itself shook. "Play my little game to my satisfaction or we shall see if imminent death will spur you on again, as it did on the bridge." The walls began to fall away, the floor to dissolve under their feet. Suddenly, they were back in the dome, in the oubliette, the false gateway glowing beside them. It shivered, winked as if mocking them and disappeared.

Rider gripped Red's arm, catching the horror in Vereta's and William's eyes. What were they to do now? How were they ever to know if they had really escaped if this creature could construct something so real?