Chapter 2: Down the Future Path (To the Past)

Liana Shadowstalker wrote:


Liana chuckles to herself.

"I'm not sure how this is supposed to help you return to your world. Oh well, it's not really my concern, so long as I get paid."

She frowns, briefly.

"Do keep an eye on that Cecilia woman, boss. Something about her bothers me. That man that went into the lab with her was also unsettling. Plus...if she saw through my disguise, what do you think I should do? Want me to proceed as planned?"

Liana stays, waiting until she is either dismissed or given further orders.

Catherine wrote:
Catherine is visibly angry at being ignored by both Cecilia and Alistair, but when she hears her name she turns around and sees Saul, and smiles. "Hey! I know you!" she says, "Thank goodness someone is here that doesn't know magic!"

Now Catherine is trying hard to compose herself, while listening to the conversations around her. But suddenly she looks up with wide eyes and gasps. She turns toward Cecilia. "Wait..." she says, her voice noticeably softer, "...did you say there's a summoner here?" then turning to Saul, says, "...and that he was in a cell, but now you don't know where he is?" She pauses for a moment, deep in thought, then at once she lunges toward the notes that Cecilia and Alistair had, and tries to grab them. "No! You can't see these, especially if there's a summoner running around! Magic... was never meant to be used this way. And to answer your question, no, I will not sit."

As Catherine is doing all this, Cecilia notices that the jewel atop Catherine's staff is no ordinary jewel... it seems to be a philosopher's stone!

Storyteller wrote:
To Cecilia's surprised, the notes are wrenched right out of her hands by a frantic Catherine.

Cecilia Phron wrote:
Angered by Catherine's actions, and already obviously having a terrible day, Cecilia turns on Catherine. She pulls out a knife, puts it to Catherine's throat, and glares right into her eyes.

"I did not care in Ponwei when people suggested there were restrictions on how magic is to be used, and I do not care now. The price for that stone may have been to high for you, but I have no such limitations. Now, you were a student at Ponwei and were present on the train when all the madness began. I am giving you some leeway and assuming you are not a complete moron. But-" Her eyes narrow. "If you EVER try to hold me back again, I will end you. Do you understand?"

Cecilia keeps her other hand ready, expecting Catherine to give her back the notes.

"I am going to continue my work. Your options are to help or to leave. Do not attempt to impede me."

Catherine wrote:
Catherine reels back from Cecilia's stare, feeling less confident in herself. "No... but... only somebody who is pure evil would want to continue this research after studying these notes... I can't let you do this..." Catherine steps 5 feet back, puts her notes in her cloak pocket, and casts a spell.

Catherine wrote:
After casting the spell, a grin grows on Catherine's face. "Besides," she says, "killing the person who wrote the very notes you're studying doesn't seem like a good research tactic..."

Cecilia Phron wrote:

Cecilia keeps her eyes narrowed at Catherine, clearly not in the mood for games.

"Alright, Abjurer... I'll bite. You wrote these notes? Why tell me this when you've already made it clear that you've no intention of allowing me to continue? Oh, and... bear in mind the current situation." Cecilia begins chuckling slightly. "Your answer could very well be the difference between allies and enemies." Cecilia gives Catherine a deceptively coy look. "You don't really want to be enemies, do you?"

Cecilia's chuckle elevates to an unnerving cackle. She idly takes her poppet in hand, knife still in the other. Her eyes never waver from Catherine.

Storyteller wrote:
Catherine's Protection from Evil spell, much to Cecilia's dismay, is able to alter the effects of the Evil Eye hex to act as if she'd passed the save! Nearby alchemists, seeing the tension between the two, elect to grab their things and move themselves to the farthest possible tables. One of them, an obviously young Drow girl, begins to stammer.

"M...Mister Skivven, sir? Please, if you would be...so kind, could you please stop these two before they hurt someone and make a mess of the lab?" The girl bows. "I mean, if it's not too much trouble, sir!"

Meanwhile, just below the lab...

Kaiser Trenton wrote:

Trenton laughs heartily as the machine continues to buzz and hum, and sparks fly.

"Liana, I've kept an eye on that woman since she entered the city. What bothers you about her is exactly why I want her around. Not all of this nonsense about researching the creation of Philosopher's Stones. I just need her busy for a little while, because I don't know how she'll react when her friend here so...generously donates a piece of himself for our work. No, I learned all I needed to know about the Philosopher's Stone from that unwitting Catherine girl. So naive, she was. But, it worked out in my favor. I have this wonderful necromancer at my feet and the whole of Amroth will soon be before me. Who knows, Liana? Perhaps you'll be invited to it."

Liana Shadowstalker wrote:


Liana lets out a laugh, but there is no humor behind it.

"I've heard such promises before, and they didn't exactly get me far. I suppose you didn't have me executed when you found out what I'd been doing, so there's that. But I've been around here for a while, boss, I know how things work. I'll be 'dealt with' if I stop being useful to you."

She slips a knife out of her sleeve and idly twirls it around as she talks. She does so mostly do keep her hands busy, and is sure not to hold it out towards the Kaiser.

"You've seen my work though, and you know I'm one of the best at what I do. Hell, maybe I'm wrong, and you'll actually put me in a nice position under your rule. Either way, looks like I'm here to stay for a while."

She flips the knife around, and it goes back into hiding.

"I wonder how Skivven will handle that obnoxious Cecilia woman. He is...an odd one, after all."

Skivven wrote: Skivven leans back in his chair, his head tilted to the side as he digests what's being said. "Skivven is cursed, always ladies fighting over Skivven" He states leaning forward to stare at the two before nodding at drow girl. "Skivven thinks he should tell polite knight and half man to not move." He says standing up and bringing his gun up, firing twice at the two before reloading. "Skivven thinks smelly lady and twitchy lady should stop and enjoy picking salt out of them before Skivven uses real bullets."

Cecilia Phron wrote:
Skivven's shots hit Cecilia from behind. She's more surprised than in pain. She let's out an annoyed sigh, but then her demeanor changes as she speaks to him. She comes across as almost... pleasant.

"Of course, Ra-...Skivven. I'm just not myself at the moment. I'm not trying to cause trouble for the drow... but the fact remains that the Abjurer is interfering with my work. As long as she stands down, I will as well." Back to Catherine: "There's no reason to continue the argument, is there... Catherine?" Cecilia smiles softly.

Catherine wrote:
Catherine gets shot, but she holds her gaze with Cecilia's. Her hands are still shaking, and now she's confused; why is Cecilia being nice? Even so, it is still habit to want to defend herself. Trying to be menacing, she mutters, "You... you..." but she can't hold the act. "You started it!" she shouts, and her stare falters. "Besides, you're impeding my work, too! That summoner that's running around, he isn't safe here! I need to find him!"

And so Catherine starts running toward Saul and Skivven. "Where was the last place you saw him?" she desperately asks.

Saul wrote:

"Err, well I last saw him on the way to here from the cells. He said he had to go to the bathroom...but considering where we're at, we should probably check on him before something...not good happens to him."

Skivven wrote: Skivven's eyes narrow as he considers his options before speaking and gesturing at the two with his shotgun." "Skivven thinks you two stay here with rest. Specialy high strung lady. But if it keeps Skivven from wasting ammo Skivven will tell guards to look. Stupid man is probably lost is all or Skivven would have been told." He states flatly as he motions to one of the drow.

Saul wrote:

Saul isn't quite too happy about not being able to search for Will himself, but he lets it go. He doesn't want to cause too much trouble in this place.

"Maybe you're right. I can see him getting lost easily."

Cecilia Phron wrote:
Keeping up her facade of kindness, she responds first to Skivven.

"We'll just keep to our business in here, then. You've clearly got it under control. I'm sure the summoner is fine." Cecilia first looks towards Alistair to try and get an idea of what he's thinking, but then looks back to Catherine. "We can just discuss things, yes? There's obviously more to this research than you've let on. Please, have a seat. Let's go over the notes."

Calmly, Cecilia brushes herself off as much as she can. She sits, wincing only slightly from the salt wounds. After reorganizing the table, she pulls out a chair next to herself and gestures toward Catherine.

Alistair Bedlow wrote:

"He'll be fine. He knows to keep his head down. Probably the one good trait he has," he responded with his own two cents, still stroking his chin and thinking.

"Perhaps we should inform the abjurer what's been going on?"

Trenton wrote:

The castle begins to shake violently beneath the party's feet. Below the alchemy lab, the infernal machine that Will is strapped to begins to spark more furiously, and it spins with a supernatural vigor.

"Liana! Can you feel the power the machine is pulling from the boy? Its presence chills the very air! It's breathtaking! This is it, Liana! The moment that Mother has been waiting for for all these long years! The one I promised her so long ago! Yes, summoner! Spill your soul into this device, so that I may use it to return home!"

Trenton laughs maniacally as the room begins to fill with a blinding light. The shaking slows to a halt and Will screams in pain. His scream is drowned out as the hum of the machine grows louder and louder, until the room sounds, looks, and feels as if it is about to explode. Then, suddenly, it is all over. The light fades in an instant, the machine stops, and Will's screaming ceases. Trenton holds a small red gem in his hand, grinning wildly.

"Do you see it, Liana? Do you see the result of my work? Isn't it glorious?"

Saul wrote:

During the shaking, Saul is too surprised to speak. It is only after the shaking is over that Saul snaps out of it and begins to speak.

"W-w-what was up with that?! Were those Will's screams I just heard?!"

Cecilia Phron wrote:
The combination of the violent shaking, the machine's noise, and Will's screams are enough to cause Cecilia to drop her fake smile. She first casts protective magic on herself.

"...Skivven. I believe we need to have a chat with your Kaiser."

Liana Shadowstalker wrote:


Liana's eyes widen as she realizes what Trenton is holding.

"That's...but...wow, boss."

Recovering from her shock, Liana smirks.

"So that's why you needed him alive. Well, things just got significantly more interesting. So you intend to use a Philosopher's Stone to return to Amroth? Well, you have my attention."

Catherine wrote:
Catherine hears the screaming and the humming of the machine and a new fear grows in her eyes. She keeps shaking well after the floor stops.

"No... it's too late..." Catherine says, addressing the group but staring at the floor, "you said it was Will, right? The summoner? Then it's too late. I should have known..."

She walks over to the desk and flips through the final pages of her notes. "There are more subtleties to making philosopher's stones than I've written here... I kept the most dangerous details off these pages." She looks Cecilia in the eye. "But now the die is cast, and I know that one of you will figure this out eventually, so I may as well spare you from work already done. Time is running short, and it's not like you'll be able to use this knowledge to your own gain, now; with this one act, Trenton has already shown his true intentions.

"You must already know about the powers of a philosopher's stone, or rather the quicksilver inside -- turning lead into gold, and being able to raise the dead -- but those only scratch the surface. You must have wondered, as I did, just how these alchemists' miracles can be used to do something which seems to be outside the realm of alchemy. I couldn't figure out the connection... but when I began mixing alchemy with my arcane magic, I had a breakthrough. It seems that, during the chemical process, I could make my potions a bit more potent in abjuration magic; the effects were very tiny, and you can only tell with incredibly accurate tools, but they were there. Now, that was only a tiny fraction of my arcane power. What if all the magic inside me, my entire being, my soul, was put into my alchemy? Certainly such a creation would have much abjuration power. And that's when it clicked; what if I made a philosopher's stone from the soul of someone with an affinity for interdimensional magic? Summon spells, gates, and so on? I conjectured that a stone made from a summoner might have enough power to open a gate and move us back to our home. And now it has been done; such a stone has been made, and not by one of us.

"That's where I'm confused. You said nobody but you has seen these notes, right? That means that someone has made a stone without our help, and as far as I know I was the only person doing research on philosopher's stones. But it couldn't have been Trenton... could it? No, it couldn't be... if he knew how to make a stone without any of our research, then why would we be here? Why would he have us working on a problem he already solved?" Catherine sighs. "Something doesn't add up."

Cecilia Phron wrote:
Cecilia leans back in her chair, taking in what Catherine as just explained. She looks over to her.

"There is much you've missed, but it seems you're already aware of the most pressing details." She looks over towards Alistair and Saul. "Alchemist, Knight. We do not have the luxury of privacy, but time is a factor. Sit. Discuss. We need to reach a conclusion about our kind host's intentions immediately."

After a moment of thought, she continues on. "We know Trenton wanted the summoner for his experiments. We know that imprisoning all of us would have not only been simple, but also in no way an impediment to his own goals. We also now know that he in no way needed us to research for him. And, lastly, we know thanks to the R-... thanks to Skivven's actions that Trenton is explicitly trying to avoid killing us unless absolutely necessary." She looks down at herself momentarily, very conscious of the fact that she was recently shot. Cecilia then looks over her entire party. "Any other input? Important details I've missed?"

Kaiser Trenton wrote:

"Now, Liana. I will offer you this once, because you have served the Drow so faithfully for all of these years of your life. I have at our dock a ship. This ship contains all the Drow and other creatures that have made their way into the city, or have been born here, that do not wish to return to Amroth, for whatever reason. Very soon, this ship will depart, bound for the upper region of the nearby continent, where the red-haired human warrior race resides. They have viewed Drow and our allies as mystical creatures, almost akin to gods. Certainly they will accept our Earth-enamored brethren with open arms. If you so desire...you may board that ship, and leave my service. You may return to your home, find what family you may have left, and leave this place behind."

Trenton smiles warmly.

"Of course, if you wish to stay, you are welcome to come to the wedding."

Alistair Bedlow wrote:

Alistair didn't move when the quaking happened, already aware of what just happened when hearing the screams.

"He's keeping us alive because we're useful. You for your tactic, Cecilia, and myself to study. Saul and Catherine are more of pieces that go with you. Obviously the Summoner had more importance to him. If this is how he shows his curiosity, I definitely would like to leave. It's time we took a big risk. Staying here will only repeat of the Lich. This I can say for sure. That, and we have a queen to warn."

Cecilia Phron wrote:
Cecilia's obviously annoyed by Alistair's remark.

"And how, exactly, do you suggest we do that? Where do we go? In case you've forgotten, we are still trapped in the seal, and the only way out that we know of is in the possession of the very person you want to avoid."