Re: The Prisoner - The Arrival
Rael takes on the role of the gift bearer with some trepidation. Turning the glass bauble over in his hands, the almost perfect beauty of the orb seems to transfix his gaze. Hardly heavier than a handful of wool, the orb seems to nestle warmly in Rael's hand. Slowly a small black smudge begins to swim within the crystal clear globe. Growing thicker, darker, and slowly taking over more and more, the smudge begins changing the orb's color. First a smoky color eventually settling on an inky black, onyx like, color.
Seconds before Astralgyx disappears into the thick brush of the forest you see him stop and turn. As if deciding if leaving you alone was a good choice he stares at the group. Raising both hands at the elbows, he waves both of them down in an obvious motion of disgust. You swear you hear him scowl "Bah!" before turning once again and vanishing into the woods.
Standing on the side of the road, it is plain that the only true choice in this strange land is to head towards the town. If the gnarled imp was correct, your passage to the land of Syfera begins there. You take this time to stretch your legs, loosen some of the battles cramps, and simply enjoy the crisp clear air. The going is easy as the road is definitely well traveled and marked. The only thing that bothers you now is the fact that there are no real stars. Knowing what you have seen, those twinkling lights are merely cities and other inhabited locations on other floating islands.
After 30 minuets or so of walking you hear a quick and muffled shout coming from off the road to the left. Peering off in that direction, your vision is blocked by a low rolling hill. TING, TANG, TAP the sound of metal on metal drifts from behind the hill a few moments later.