Pieran and Iona entered the prayer room as Orean looked up from her books and announced, “Well, I am complete in my research. I can not tell you how much I appreciate your assistance in this. And thank you again for our rescue.” Orean looked a bit melancholy.

Putting on a brave face as she fluttered her translucent wings she said, “I guess good byes and good luck is in order. Remember, three must chant and they must not break contact. You all must be in the star or you will be left here. And most important, align the staff correctly. All of our lives depend on it.”

With a sudden movement, Orean fluttered over to Raven who was closest and gave her a quick embrace. “Go and be ready for the hour will soon approach.”
This message was last updated by the GM at 01:59, Sun 03 Oct 2004.

   Seeing Pieran dissappear at such an inconvinient moment, Johnny said to the others, his anger hardly surpressed:
   "Does he play me a fool? How many times does the bloody nature call his bladder in a day, and can't he postpone it a few minutes? Then why can all the rest of us wait for him?" Shaking his head, provoked by Pieran's non-chalant behaviour, Johnny silently recited the incantations he were to perform. Without any written notes, his accuracy was still stunning.

   When Iona and Pieran returned together, he had more or less calmed down and didn't feel like stirring any trouble, particularly not at such a time as this. "At last," he said sternly. "Did you need help with answering nature?"

   Eager to escape the strange dimension, Johnny awaited patiently, trying to pass the time with idle chat. "I guess this is the part where I wake up to late for the University and realize this was all just a bad idea. My imagination is far to hyper-active."

Dren had long sice left the hidden room with the long wodden table that was within and vanished to the side room as part of his project. He reappeared just as Orean was mentioning good byes and was suddenly flustered "Yeah, 'bout t'get t'that." back within the room short a table he grabbed an armfull of books and some cloth and head off to his "lab" for lack of any words so far.

Raven was a bit surprised by the hug Orean gave her.



The archaeologist had an impulse to say Live long and prosper, while giving the Vulcan salute, but she suppressed it. Raven might have watched a little too much Star Trek in her youth. Besides, saluting was Pieran’s thing. “We’ll do our best,” was all she managed to stammer out, and then she proceeded to packing up her gear.

She listened to Johnny as he practiced the chant and smiled at him, “That sounds perfect.”

She looked over the things Dren was gathering just enough to make sure that the books she considered to be in the must have category were included. Part of her would really have liked more time to explore this place.

Iain sat down near Alex: "Well, it's been... Really nice meeting you. I would've liked having some more time to get to know you better. Unfortunately, England is not really behind the corner, so I guess it's a goodbye."

"Its certainly been an experience, hasn't it?"  Alex smiled at Iain.  So this was it.  Time for goodbyes and so longs, farewell to these people she had only just met and yet was reluctant to leave.  If nothing else was to be said about their little jaunt, it had forced bonds to be formed between people who probably would barely have given each other the time of day.  She sighed slightly; home was looking like an awfully lonely place right now.

Clearing away that thought, she leant towards Iain and lowered her voice to a near whisper.  "I hope you get your cure one day."
This message had punctuation tweaked by the player at 20:03, Sun 03 Oct 2004.

Iain looked at her somewhat surprised: "Wh... How..." Then he smiled: "Nevermind."

He put his hand on hers: "Thanks. Hey, it's not all bad, you know... The superpowers are pretty cool." He grinned.

"Plus, I've always had a soul, so I have no memories of... You know... Massacres... To torture me for centuries to come."
This message was last edited by the player at 17:53, Sun 03 Oct 2004.

Raven glanced over at Alex and Iain as she helped Dren pack up their gear. “It’s probably a good thing those two are going to have an ocean between them,” she said. “Relationships based on extreme circumstances never work out.”

   Beaming, Johnny thanked Raven, explaining: "It's not like as if we want to make any tiny-yet-critical mistakes when shifting planes, you know." His cheerful mood reached an abrupt end, though, seeing the others wish eachother good-bye.
   "So, it all, well...ends here, then?" he asked, his voice sounding a bit dissappointed. One couldn't be quite sure if he was being serious, or setting the mood for some sarcastic follow-up joke. "I'm just going to go ahead with my life, hoping not to get bitten by some angry blood-sucker or anything, trying to forget everything I've seen here?"
   Now he was clearly serious, sounding sincerely troubled. "I mean, I can't just...won't just..." For once, Johnny B. seemed at loss for words, leaving the sentence hanging in the air, swallowing air awkwardly. "Well, bye then?"

Alex glanced down at the cool hand on her own, a slightly embarrassed smile on her face.  "I suppose they do slot in under the pros column."  She murmered.  For some reason the affection Iain showed her set her a little more on edge than say, Pieran's, but she couldn't put her finger on why.

Johnny's troubled voice soon drew her attention, her brow creasing as she listened.  She had forgotton that he had no experience with the supernatural, that vampires, psychics and potential slayers were all news to him.  She wished there was something she could say to him, but having never been able to leave the world behind herself, Alex hardly felt qualified.

Instead, she settled for a half-hearted smile in his direction.  "It was nice to have met you, Johnny.  And thanks for the stitches."

The first thing Iona heard at her return was Orean's announcement. She quickly glided over to Orean, pausing only to place her wrist-training stone beside her purse. "I... I wanted to thank you." She hesitated, not really knowing how to express it. Orean's support and faith in her abilities had been more important to Iona than anyone could ever have guessed, including herself. She was still so insecure about them, and this was the first time Iona had intentionally revealed them to any outsiders, let alone a whole bunch of strangers. She started again.

"I mean, for what you said up there." She faltered once more, then pressed on. "I wish we could have had more time, to talk. Do you think we'll ever meet again?"

"Iona, you and your companions transcended time and space to rescue Ninti and me. Who is to say that we will never meet again? I dare not." Orean hugged Iona briefly then fluttered backwards. The force of the wings caused wisps of her hair to fly free.

"Go now and be safe. If we meet again, my friend, I wish it would be during happier times.

The group packed up their gear for what was presumed to be the last time. Placing Alexis’s sport bag on the litter between her legs, two of the guys got ready to tote her to the town square. Bags and packs are shouldered. Dren’s crudely constructed “sled” gave him the look of an Eskimo out of his element and looking for snow. With a final wave, the group departed the Temple of Sol and lugged their gear to the center of this burned out town.

Without incident your group arrived at the town center together. Now all that remained was to wait for time to mark the new hour and to follow Orean’s final instructions.

Dren's sled was the upturned table that he'd fitted a few kegs of ale to,  stacked several books over and then covered with blankets and bits of twine. Carefully positioning it over one of the points in the star he stopped to speak with Raven for a moment, but lowered his voice to avoid the prying ears of anyone not Undead, "Pigeon, truth b'told I could care less about th'lot o'these folks. But at th'same time I've been thinkin' a lot about... us. You an me 'ave a kind o'... special situation goin' on, 'ear." he paused as if trying to figure out how to go on, loooking around to make sure no one was listening he continued "Le's face it, w'en we do get 'ome, are we gonna arive at th'same place w'left at th'same moment? If so, you an I were 'avin issues wit a floodin' Egyptian temple. If w'go back to th'same time an place, then this little trip as all for not, y'know? Nothin' more'n a stay o'execution."

Raven spoke quietly to Dren, “I don’t think we’re going back to our separate points of origin, not yet anyway. There are no separate circles on this star like there were on the one we arrived on. This strikes me as being more like one big transporter pad that’s going to be keyed to one location and transport us as a group. Three of us are going to be kind of linked to each other because we’ll be standing together holding on to the staff. I know I’m just theorizing, but I think to move us to separate locations would require the separate circles.”

“If I had to guess, I would suspect that we’re going back to Matt’s dimension. The star outside of Matt’s house used to be used by all manner of creatures as a transportation device on a regular basis. It has a much more powerful magic associated with it than this one. I believe it can be keyed to different locations and we can have Matt send us to someplace safer than the inside of the temple. Besides, he promised a handsome reward. It would make sense that we’re going back to his place to collect it.” Raven smiled at Dren, trying to appear confident in what she was suggesting. In reality she had no idea if any of her suspicions were correct and still saw no reason to trust the gnomish man who had dragged them into all of this against their will. But, she didn’t see that they had a lot of options at the moment. She did feel that she could trust that Orean was not going to send them to their deaths. She couldn’t explain why she trusted Orean, she just knew that she did.

Dren seemed satisfied with Raven's answer, in truth it was far better than he could hope to think up, heck he was still patting himself on the back for realizing that a trip home could mean just one big watery grave. As he finished moving the small pack of assorted possessions in place, he climbed over it and sprawled out as if it were nothing more than an oversize bean bag in one's living room. For a brief moment his mind turned to the remake of The Fly and though the idea of having is blood replaced with ale didn't bother him in the least the idea of book pages for skin did, but if Raven was right and three people were going to be connect there had to be something more Star Trek about this... besides it's not like his guns were replaced with his lungs on the trip over.

Deposited within the confines of the star, Alex pulled her bag a little closer, resting her arms on its top.  Glumly, she waited for the hour and the chanting to begin, marking the beginning of her journey home.

Raven checked her pocket to make sure that her sunglasses were handy, just in case they returned to Matt’s disco lighted room. After fetching Dren’s compass, she took the staff and stood in the center of the star, turning until it was properly lined up. She checked the time on her watch as she waited to begin the chant. “Iain, if you still have those blankets handy, you might want to shade yourself with one.”

The hour grew near. The birds had suddenly stopped singing and the area had grown still. Even the clouds directly above your group had stopped moving.

“Well, well.” said a rather large vampire as he stepped out from behind a chimney. He resembled “the Hulk” in his physical stature, only not as good looking.    “What have we here? It looks like our supplies have just been replenished, boys! Get them and take them to the lair!”

Emerging from hiding places all around the square were dozens of vampires. “But Rex,” one near him said, “The clouds. They are about to open.”

Snarling and moving his arm as if to strike the one that spoke up, Rex reconsidered as he halted his motion. “Ok, fine. We wait until they get their tanning treatment and then we take them. They are not going anywhere.” Rex crossed his arms; his face broke into a sadistic grin.
This message was last edited by the GM at 16:34, Mon 04 Oct 2004.

Alex scowled as she saw the vampires circle the group.  Gritting her teeth, she struggled to her feet, trying to ignore the protests coming from her mid-section.  There was no way she was going to remain seated while Rex and his minions eyed her jugular.  Gathering her composure, she stood there, slightly bent to keep the stitches intact, one arm covering the wound protectively.

Dren shook his head while slipping a clove into his mouth and replacing the back into his leg, it would have been one thing knowing they were going into this knowing failure was a possibility, it was different knowing failure wasn't even an option. After lighting it his clove he took one drag "Y'know Raven, not tha' I doubt your chatin' ability." without so much as standing he simply put the smoke back in his mouth and drew both guns tauntingly "But I'm not tha' confident 'bout Johnny's!" still sitting on his 'stash' Dren held both heavy handguns in the air and started to mentaly map out the heads that would be his targets, "One o'y'ladies might want t'let our 'ost know w'ave company." he said through his scented source of relaxation.

Pieran kept his place on the T-port pad and knocked a recently sharpened arrow upon his string. If the gate did not open, fresh wounds would. He at least wanted to be the first to draw blood. The King's blood. It would be a symbolic victory at the very least.

His thoughts included Iona. He wanted to remind her of his teachings; they echoed in his head. 'Remember to breathe and hold tension behind your eyes, then release with thrust, like a striking cobra.'

But she had an almost inhuman way of assimilating information; he felt sure she at least had the basic steps down. What remained was the mental component. But then, a dozen or more hungry vampires trying to keep her from going home would be impetus enough for her to slaughter the whole lot of them.

No, she would be okay. He sent her no thoughts, nothing to distract her from her lyrical task. And also, nothing that could be interpreted as lack of confidence in her abilities.
This message was last edited by the player at 19:58, Mon 04 Oct 2004.

Seeing the vamps surrounding them, Iona tensed up. She felt the fear rising within her, despite the lack of surprise at their presence (oh, come on, Murphy's Law always applies) and her recent training with Pieran. Thank God for big and small blessings.



"I suppose that would be me..." Iona muttered, juggling the rosewood stake in one hand and her notebook in preparation of the chanting in the other, all whilst fixing part of her mind on Orean in the temple.


{ "Orean?" } she sent. { "Not to alarm you or anything, but..." } Iona finished off with a visual of the square and their vampirish guards. { "Orean? " } She didn't know what, if anything, Orean could do about it, but at the very least the winged being would be warned of the vamps' presence and not be taken by surprise.
This message was last edited by the player at 22:02, Mon 04 Oct 2004.

The final minutes seemed like hours as the stand off continued. {Focus, Iona.} came the calming reply from Orean. {Just a few more seconds. This has to work. Start the High Noon Chant.}

The clouds begin to spiral open as Raven, Iona, and Johnny begin to chant. One of the vampires cried out. “A staff. They have a sun staff!!” He leaped forward and did a gymnastic tumbling run with the intent of flipping over the heads of the group and snatching the staff from your grasp. Pieran let fly one of his deadly shafts. Dren reflexively popped off a couple of shots. The athletic vampire completed his tumbling run and was in midair as he reached for the Staff of Sol …
And burst into a ball of flame. Another had run forward as well, but he retreated to the edge of the square, his arm still flaming. Iain began to smolder as the intense beam bathed his form.

Rex stood there smugly, arms crossed as he counted down from 30, waiting until the sunbath was over. “Three, Two, One! … Ah, One! One?”
The sunbeam did not stop, but the pain Iain was experiencing did. A golden yellow ball of energy emitted from the staff and surrounded your group as they stood in the center of the star.

Sol began to move, not to the west, but to the east. Slowly at first, then with rapid acceleration it dropped out of the sky and true darkness covered the land. A pale blue glow was seen at the far edges of town and spread rapidly across the ground like a blanket. The vampires tried to run in all directions but it was no use. They each lit up like an exploding power transformer and showered the ground with blue flaming sparks. Rex leaped forward and tried to enter the golden bubble, but was repelled by the energy as two arrows and several gunshots also hit him. As the blue energy hit him, he tried, by sheer willpower, to hold himself together. It worked, for a few seconds and he broke apart in smaller chunks, rather then all at once like the others. Soon the vampires were gone.

As the flaming embers began to fade, the sun “rose” in the west. The clouds began to clear in a mad scramble as Sol rapidly climbed into the sky. Still within your golden bubble, all were safe. The movement of Sol increased in speed still as it set and rose faster and faster. Soon the days blinked by, as if someone was turning off and on a room light, faster and faster till it was a blur.

The surrounding town was suddenly obscure to your vision with heavy smoke and flame. As the fires went out, they “rebuilt” the structures instead of destroying them. Solerites could be seen in quick glimpses dashing about, conducting normal life activities.

You get the sensation of floating and then lifting high as a tingle encompassed your bodies. Then all went black and sensation ceased.

---

The group arrived just as the sun was setting in a grassy area surrounded by a circular driveway. The seven-pointed star glowed beneath their feet, but the glow faded and all that was left was green grass in the lengthening shadows. The air is fresh and warm. A light breeze rustled the leaves on the nearby trees as the birds began to quiet down for the night. Close to you are seven tall pine trees, three on the left and four on the right side, to the covered walkway, standing as guards. The walkway crossed the drive and led to the double doors of a building. A large three-story mansion loomed before the group. It was constructed of brick and cut stone, old in design, circa late 1800’s, but in very good condition. Soft warm light glowed from the many windows. From the covered entryway, a tall male figure dressed in a well fitting suit stepped forward to greet you.

“Good evening and I bid you welcome to Cornerstone. Please all gather round and follow me. Come inside and I will quickly show you around and then leave you in peace, for I am sure you are tired.” He stopped partway across the drive and beckoned you to come forward. Then he turned and fully expecting you to all follow, strode smoothly toward the couple of steps up to the terrace.

FADE TO BLACK
Roll credits.
Little monster moves across screen. "Grrr Arrrg!"
This message was last edited by the GM at 00:52, Tue 05 Oct 2004.

“If our host were wearing all white I’d swear we’d just crossed over into a cancelled television series. They would have LOVED to hear my fantasy!” Pieran paused for another moment. “Would any of you guys like to hear it? ……Hey guys? ……Hello? ....Hmm, maybe I should re-word the question in 16th Century...”
This message was last edited by the player at 04:37, Tue 05 Oct 2004.