Kevin was pacing around the living room. All eyes were on him as he paced impatiently. As the apparent leader of the group since this morning, Kevin was expected to figure out what they should do next.
I just love it when my mind blanks on me, Kevin was thinking as he paced. I can't figure out anything, or even plan our next move. He stopped pacing and scratched his head, studying the flooring carefully as if an answer was encoded in it. What should we do now? How long do we have to figure all this out? And how can we find Paul without any other clues or --
"Copper coin for your thoughts, Kevin." Sharon was holding out one of the copper coins from her coin purse towards Kevin.
Kevin, shaken from his thoughts, glanced up at Sharon. He sighed. "Sorry all," he said. "I'm not used to this leadership bit."
He scanned the group. Almost all had expectant looks in their faces. Everyone but Tony, who was still intently studying the sheet that Paul had left for him, and Doug, who looked somewhat annoyed for no readily apparent reason.
"Well, I've been trying to think of what to do next," Kevin stated to the rest of the group. "The problem is that Paul's letter was pretty vague in some important details." Kevin lightly tapped the original group letter from Paul that he was holding.
"Like what details, Kev?" asked Scott.
"Like how long we have in this world to find him."
Rich pulled a piece of paper from a pocket inside his robe. "Well, on the back of my letter from Paul, he wrote that we have twelve days in this realm to get everything done. That corresponds to two days back in our old world, apparently."
"You had that in your letter?" Kevin asked.
"Yeah."
Lisa interrupted, "I had some weird information in my note too. Let me quick grab it." She bounded up the stairs to her room.
"Did all of you have some information about our quest on your sheets?" Kevin asked the group. "Everyone get those sheets and check for info."
Most had left their sheets up in their rooms, so the stairway filled with bodies for a moment. Tony, who was still reading his and looking more and more puzzled as he did so, poked Kevin.
Kevin turned around to face the bull. "What do you need, Tony?"
"Could you tell me what this passage means? I don't understand it." Tony gave the sheet to Kevin and pointed to a line of writing on the bottom of the page.
Kevin read over the sentence Tony had pointed to. Deep furrows started forming in his forehead as he read it again.
It said very clearly, "Please let easy and soft enemies hit every last person."
After another attempt at reading it, Kevin handed the paper back to Tony, saying, "I can't make any sense out of it either. But, it's probably a clue of some sort, or perhaps some bad advice. Either way, it probably isn't too important."
Tony nodded silently and went back to studying the sheet, particularly the abilities section of it.
The others drifted back down, looking over their letters for clues. Kevin pulled a notebook from the stack of role-playing books and notebooks, and the group started compiling the information from their sheets that wasn't obviously restricted to their character. By the end of the session, Kevin had a few pages worth of additional information to add to the data in the original letter.
"Well, now we have lots of tidbits of info and no continuity to it all," Kevin said. "Someone should compile this info nicely for the group. Any volunteers?"
Cindy and Sharon raised their hands simultaneously.
"We'll work on it together, and see what we can come up with," Cindy replied.
"Okay, thanks you two. Here's everything we know." Kevin handed them the original letter and the notes he had just taken.
"So, what should the rest of us do until they finish?" Crystal asked Kevin as Cindy and Sharon moved into the kitchen.
"Well, it probably wouldn't hurt for us to practice a bit today. You know, get used to fighting and spell-casting and all that," Kevin replied.
Scott stood up. "That's a good idea, Kev." Passing by Crystal and Lisa on his way outside, he stopped. "Which one of you two fine ladies wants to be my sparring partner?"
Lisa and Crystal looked at each other. Crystal, with a smile spreading across her face, leaned over and whispered something into Lisa's ear. Lisa giggled. She leaped out of her seat, grabbed Scott by the arm, and led him outside, telling him, "I suppose I could beat you up for a little while." As soon as they were safely outside, Scott instantly regretted asking that question as she easily threw him over her shoulder. Scott landed on his back with a loud thud. He groaned as he got up, holding his back.
"Ouch," he complained. "Did you have to be so rough on me?"
Lisa giggled. "You want me to take it easier on you from now on?"
Tony had watched the whole incident unfold, and felt somewhat sorry for Scott, even if he had asked for it. His thoughts were scattered by a tap on his shoulder.
"So, you should probably learn how to use the sword, since it's your primary weapon." Crystal was talking to him. Tony straightened up.
"Yeah, I suppose so," he replied. He stood up and stretched.
Gradually, they all moved outside to practice their fighting skills. Scott, Doug, and Tony watched and learned basic swordsmanship from Crystal. Within minutes, Tony and Doug had picked up quite a few moves and felt comfortable with the basics. Scott, however, was having a bit more trouble.
Obviously frustrated, he stuck his sword into the ground after being knocked back for the umpteenth time by Doug and plopped down on the grass. "I just don't get it," he sulked. "It always looks so easy in the movies."
Doug sat down next to him. He patted Scott's shoulder. "Well, this isn't exactly the movies, now is it? Plus, learning these things takes a bit of practice."
Scott continued sulking. "I just don't see why Tony has it figured out already and I don't." He watched Crystal and Tony sparring a few yards away. Tony was obviously up to par with Crystal as the two appeared to be at a stalemate. Tony and Crystal's swords clanged against each other, each holding the other's blade at bay. This setup, unfortunately for Crystal, tended to favor the stronger combatant. Tony, with a impulsive forearm jerk and powerful swipe of his arm, easily won a few moments later, successfully disarming Crystal with a burst of power she hadn't expected. Crystal was brought to her knees by the power Tony put behind the move and knelt there, breathing heavily.
"Very nicely done, Tony," she said between deep breaths. "You're getting good at this."
Tony just shrugged and helped Crystal to her feet. "I'm just doing as you taught me, plus adding a bit of my own strength and impromptu moves into the mix."
Crystal wiped off her knees and picked up her sword that had been thrown a few feet away. "Well, whatever you're doing, it's working."
Doug watched Scott get more glum as he had watched the scene in front of them. Scott sighed.
"Well, you know, Scott," Doug suggested as he stood back up, "you might wanna ask Tony what he's been doing. You never know what you might learn from him."
Scott just shrugged and stared ahead blankly. Doug, after a moment of indecision, walked over to Crystal and Tony and told them about Scott's predicament. They talked for a moment before all three approached Scott.
Tony sat down next to Scott. "You know, Scott, I've never seen you this dejected before. Just come practice with us a bit more and you'll get the hang of it."
Scott sighed. "Yeah, I hope so." He paused for a moment before continuing. "I'm so used to catching onto new things quickly. I guess my pride was a bit hurt when everyone else was obviously doing better than me."
Doug plopped down on the other side of Scott. "Ah, the pride problem. I can understand that. Just keep getting up and learning from your mistakes. We all make them."
Scott sighed again, then chuckled lightly. "Yeah, we all do. Just some of us less than the rest of you." He smiled wryly back at the other three.
Crystal extended her hand to help him up. He accepted and was soon back on his feet.
"I can take you back over the basics again, if you like," she offered.
Scott smiled. "Probably not a bad idea. But let's see if I remember them first."
Doug sighed as Crystal and Scott headed off to a flat part of the clearing. "Why did I just do that?" he muttered under his breath.
Tony, who was still close to Doug, looked at him quizzically. "What'd you say?"
Doug's head snapped up as he looked the bull in the eyes. "Nothing. Just thinking aloud." He pulled out his sword. "Shall we practice?"
Meanwhile, on the small beach, Rich and Lisa were practicing basic hand to hand combat with each other. Rich had taken most of the early beatings, but soon learned Lisa's techniques and how to avoid them. However, after successfully ducking under a flying kick, he was unprepared for the next attack. Lisa landed a few feet behind him, and immediately upon hitting the ground, was back in the air, flying back toward Rich's back. She had rotated, as she took off again, into a tackling posture. Rich hadn't expected such quick reflexes and was just starting to stand back up and turn around as Lisa grabbed him in the small of the back and finished the tackle move. Rich fell face first onto the sand, his staff flying from his hand, as Lisa used his back as a sort of springboard and flipped in midair, landing cleanly on her feet a few inches from the top of his head.
Rich looked up, coughing a bit of sand from his mouth, and noticed Lisa's outstretched hand near his face. He accepted the hand and slowly stood up.
"Well, if my back wasn't aligned before, it should be now," he quipped, rubbing his sore back tenderly.
Lisa looked at him and sheepishly apologized. "Sorry, Rich. Didn't mean to be so rough on you."
"That's all right," he responded, wiping the sand off the front of his robe. "Just as long as you don't injure me too badly, I'll be fine."
Lisa grinned. "That's good to hear," she said. "But I'll try to take it easier next time."
"No problem. Plus, now I get to try out this spell."
Rich pulled out the sheet from Paul from a pocket inside his robe. He quick glanced over a part of it and stuffed it back into its place. After a short incantation and some gesturing, his right hand started glowing a pale white. He rubbed this hand all over his sore back, releasing a relieved sigh. A few seconds later, the spell completed and he bent forward and backward to test out the back muscles.
"Back to their perfectly normal selves," he said.
Lisa had watched the whole incident with interest. "What did you just do?" she asked the feline.
"A simple healing spell," he responded matter-of-factly. Noticing her continued curious look, he asked, "You have somewhere on your body that's been bruised today? I can cast one on you so you know what it's like."
Lisa ran her hands down the sides of her body, before she smiled back at Rich.
"Nope, nothing's hurt," she told him. "That would require you actually hitting me."
Rich stared at her, dumbfounded. "I haven't hit you enough today to even bruise you?!?"
Lisa quick checked herself again. "Nope, not even a small bruise."
Rich chuckled. "Oh well. I'm a wizard, not a fighter. You have the advantage in hand-to-hand combat."
"Well, then, show me what you got," Lisa giggled as she got into a fighting stance.
"You sure you want to challenge me and my magic?" Rich extended his arms straight out, still holding his staff in his left hand. He was a good foot and a half taller than Lisa and he played the threatening wizard very well.
Lisa nodded. "Bring it on! But don't fry me too much."
Rich cast his levitation spell as she said those words, and immediately started floating a good three feet off the ground. He drifted out over the lake itself.
"Hey! I can't hit you when you're out there!" Lisa called out to him.
Rich finished a short incantation as she finished those words. He extended his palms toward Lisa. Two small glowing yellow orbs grew quickly from his hands and started speeding towards Lisa. Lisa, sensing the danger of this magic, jumped up. One of the orbs passed harmlessly underneath her and exploded in the sand. However, the other orb had been on a higher initial trajectory and smacked Lisa right in the middle of her chest.
She reeled in midair from the blow, but managed to land on one foot through the cloud of sand the first orb had kicked up. Kneeling from the rough landing, she coughed as the sand settled.
Rich floated back toward the beach landing softly on the sand. He extended his hand to the kneeling Lisa, with a smile on his face. "Gonna take me up on the healing spell now?" he said, smirking.
Lisa looked up at the wizard. "Dang, those things hurt. I think you might have bruised a rib or two." She laughed carefully while he helped her up to her feet.
Rich cast the healing magic again, this time running his hand over her chest. She blushed as he performed the spell, feeling the warmth of the magical energy.
"Wow! That feels great," she exclaimed as the spell faded. "Cindy can do that too, right?"
"She should be able to, yes."
"Neat," she replied. "Cindy should like that ability."
Kevin had watched most of the episode between Rich and Lisa. However, it now was showing signs of returning to Lisa beating up on Rich, so he refocused on his practice. He was on the south side of the cabin, throwing his daggers at a target he had drawn on the wooden wall. It had taken him a few times to get the daggers sticking into the wall even remotely close to the target, but after fifteen minutes, he was hitting the target almost perfectly with each throw. He then started moving and throwing, trying to make sure to compensate for his movement in his throw. After about an hour, he had become better at hitting his target while doing all sorts of jumps, runs, slides, and somersaults.
Contrary to his expectations, he enjoyed the workout he was getting from the practice. Too bad there isn't a machine that can simulate this exercise, he thought to himself. After a bit more practice, he felt good enough at dagger throwing that he decided to join the sword-fighting group.
"Hey there, Tony," he said. The bull had been in the middle of a complex sequence of moves before this statement broke his concentration. Doug's sword passed within inches of Tony's face. Doug, who had been expecting his sword to meet Tony's somewhere in the movement, was sent off balance, stumbling off to one side.
Kevin looked apprehensively at Tony. "Sorry, buddy. Didn't mean to startle you."
Tony sheathed his sword. "Don't worry about it, Kevin. I'm going to have to get used to distractions eventually. And you're the best one at distracting me that I know of."
Kevin smiled. "Even better than Cindy?" he asked.
Tony blushed. "Most of the time, yes."
Doug had recovered from the aborted maneuver and was standing next to Tony. "You and Cindy an item, I take it?" he asked Tony.
Tony's face turned redder than before. He tried to say something, but no words came out of his mouth.
Kevin spoke up for the bull. "He has a definite interest in her, but hasn't done much with it. He's a bit shy still."
Tony looked at Kevin. He didn't know whether to thank Kevin for clarifying the situation to Doug or hurt Kevin for exactly the same reason.
Doug patted the bull on the shoulder. "Don't worry about it, Tony. Your feelings are confidential with me. But don't let her hang too long, okay? You two would make a nice couple."
Tony looked at Doug who flashed him a good-natured grin. Tony felt a bit better, but still glared at his feline friend for a moment before finally grinning at Kevin.
"So, anyways, Kevin," Doug started. "What are you doing over here with us tough guys?"
Kevin rolled his eyes. "I was just wondering if I could learn some sword fighting basics. I wouldn't mind being able to use my short sword a bit better."
Tony pointed to Crystal who was practicing with Scott.
"Ask Crystal. She's a good tutor," Tony said.
"Okay, thanks. Well, I'll leave you two to your mutual maiming." The feline walked off towards Scott and Crystal.
Scott was starting to show some talent, holding off Crystal for longer and longer periods, before finally knocking her down after a protracted exchange of slashes, counter-attacks, parries, and blocks.
"You're starting to get it," Crystal said as she started to get up.
Scott offered her a hand up. "Yeah, I just wasn't relaxing and concentrating before," he told her as he lifted her to her feet. "It's so much easier when you just relax a bit.
"Hey, Kev." Scott noticed the cat approach.
"Looking good there, Scott," Kevin replied. "Must be a good teacher, huh?"
Crystal blushed slightly at the compliment. "Thanks."
"Would you be willing to teach me a bit soon?" Kevin asked Crystal.
"Yeah. No problem," she replied. "Scott, you wanna take a break?"
Scott nodded. "Sure. I'll go check on how the women inside are doing."
Crystal began her lessons as Scott headed back into the cabin.
Sharon and Cindy were talking at the kitchen table, poring over pages of notes. They had swept out the chalk circle and moved the table back to its original spot.
Scott strolled up to the table and took a seat across from them. "How goes the problem?"
"Not bad. We think we have a good idea about what's going on and what we should probably do next," Cindy replied. "But there are some details in these notes that just don't fit that well."
Sharon took a sip from a mug she had in front of her and nodded. "But, I believe we have some more of the events and area figured out finally," she added to Cindy's assessment.
Scott stood back up and walked toward the cupboards. "That's good to hear," he said. "But, I think we need some breakfast before we hear all this."
He opened a few cupboard doors finally finding a few cereal boxes. He took them down, placing them on the counter. After finding the bowls, spoons, and milk, he set everything out and served himself.
"Feel free to get some food in yourselves before the others get back in and eat up everything," Scott told the women as he sat back down at the table. "Plus, the refrigerator isn't working, so we need to drink up the milk soon."
"Thanks, Scott," Sharon replied, getting up. "Nice to know that you spent all that time slaving over a hot bowl to make us that breakfast."
Scott chuckled. "Well, I'm not a master chef, but I try my best. Anything for the ladies, you know."
Cindy just rolled her eyes.
After the women had finished eating, Scott cleaned off the table and went to the deck door. "Hey, everyone. You might want to get some breakfast. Also, Cindy and Sharon are ready," he shouted out.
Doug and Tony both instantly stopped their swords in mid-swing, quickly sheathed them, and ran toward the cabin as soon as they heard the word "breakfast."
Kevin and Crystal, who had been practicing, glanced over toward Scott as he shouted. Crystal yelled back, "Be there shortly, Scott. Have to finish thumping Kevin." Kevin, quick-witted as always, yelled back his retort, "You can't thump what you can't catch, Crystal." He jumped back from their close-fighting stance and started running toward the cabin, much to Crystal's surprise.
Lisa, who was still down on the beach, turned around and yelled up toward the cabin. "Give us a moment, Scott. Rich is in the middle of a big spell."
Scott looked out over the lake and noticed the cat in purple robes floating over the small sand island in the lake. Rich, very nearly in a deep trance it seemed, chanted the spell. His body was soon engulfed in a light green aura. He stopped chanting and abruptly extended his hands out in front of him, pointing at a tree on the far shore. The aura quickly flowed toward his outstretched hands, condensing into a large energy bolt. The magic suddenly leaped from his hands straight ahead at an impossible speed, striking the tree he had targeted. The tree split apart from the magical damage, showering small sparks all around itself. Luckily, the sparks didn't start any immediate fires and the tree stood there, split in two, slightly smoking.
"Hope there weren't any small woodland creatures in that tree, Rich," Kevin yelled down. "Lisa wouldn't forgive you if there were." The explosion from the spell had attracted the curiosity of the rest of the group, who were staring at Rich from within the cabin.
Rich took a deep breath. Casting magic was a bit exhausting, to say the least, he reflected. He looked up at the cabin and weakly smiled.
"I don't think there were. Even if there were, the tree took the brunt of the damage," he called up.
He floated back toward the beach, where Lisa was waiting for him. As he landed, he tottered forward slightly. Lisa caught him quickly before he finished his fall.
"Tired from your showing off?" She grinned wryly at Rich. "You're getting almost as bad as Scott," she said a little louder than was needed.
"I heard that, Lisa!" Scott yelled down at her.
Rich chuckled. "I guess I did overdo it a bit. But this is an interesting sensation. Plus, as a plasma physicist, actually playing with something like plasma directly is kind of neat." He leaned a bit on Lisa as the two walked up the hill toward the cabin.
"It's obvious that you like it," Lisa replied. "Just save some of your energy for later, okay?"
Rich smiled. He stopped and stood up straight, taking all his weight for himself. "Thanks for the help, Lisa." Leaning down, he picked up his staff from the ground where he had left it.
"No problem."
The others were already in various stages of eating breakfast as Lisa and Rich came in the deck door.
"Weapon check at the door," Crystal commanded the two from her cereal, pointing her spoon at a pile of weapons on the couch near them.
Rich carefully placed his staff on top of the pile. Lisa shrugged at the suggestion from Crystal, telling her as she passed into the kitchen, "Who needs weapons? I beat up on Rich without one."
Rich raised an eyebrow as he followed Lisa. "But in a real fight, you wouldn't be able to touch me," he retorted.
Lisa giggled. "Yeah, I know. But it was fun beating up on someone besides these guys," she said, waving her hand in the general direction of Scott and Kevin.
"Don't feel sorry for us, though," Kevin added. "Mikey takes the brunt of her attacks usually. We're usually casual bystanders who just happen to get injured along with Mikey."
Rich and Lisa sat down at the remaining seats, bowls of cereal in hand.
"All right, everyone's here finally," Sharon commented. "Shall we start?"
"Give us your analysis," Kevin prompted.