The Grey Wars

[antiaircraft]

In a time where magic and sorcery was still commonplace, and the people who were capable of it were respected, there were three races that lived in relative peace. There were normal humans, by far the most numerous, inventive, adaptable, and constantly striving to gain more for themselves. There were the mages, powerful beings who were capable of casting various spells and enchantments to suit their own needs, they preserved their ancient practices, and so were slow to adapt. Finally, rare and isolated from the other races, there were the telepaths, mysterious people who had the ability to comprehend and influence the minds of other creatures, and some even the mind of time and space itself (i.e. telekinesis). They were highly secretive, protecting their vast reserves of knowledge from anything that might want to destroy them, but they sometimes emerged from their seclusion to undertake their unending search for the secrets of nature.

 

The peace didn't last. A human king came to power, one who thought little of the other races, promoting instead the superiority of the 'pure' humans, an opinion that began to spread throughout the people under his rule. In response to this threat, the mages raised a powerful magical barrier, one that would stop any weapons of war passing between their land and the humans'. Interpreting this as an act of war, the king raised a huge army, quickly overpowering the mages that were not protected by the barrier. By means of alchemy (which he considered a 'pure' human art) and by torturing some of the mages that had been captured to discover its secrets, the barrier was destroyed, and the mages, who had not fought a war in many centuries, were defeated and driven back into the dark, dangerous forests beyond which their last, most heavily defended cities lay. The king bided his time, building up his strength, and set up a secret police whose job it was to root out and kill or enslave any mages that had managed to survive his assaults.

 

The telepaths, not wanting to get involved in petty conflicts, had withdrawn to their temples high in the mountains, where they could continue with their studies in peace - or so they thought. The king's forces hunted them down, and before they realised that subterfuge would not work this time, the last temple had fallen, and the telepaths inside had been slaughtered.

 

((You can join as either a mage slave, who has or is going to escape, a mage living in one of the surviving fortified cities, a human who is sympathetic to the mages, or one of the last scattered telepaths. The form:

 

Name: Your character's name

Age: Your character's age

Race: Mage, telepath, or human?

Status: Your character's status (eg. escaped slave on the run)

Description: Anything else you want to add about your character

 

Notes:

- In this roleplay magic = magic done my mages & sorcery = alchemy done by humans

- Mage slaves are fitted with 'slave cuffs' that prevent them from using any magic, the cuffs can only be removed by another unusually powerful mage

- I will use ideas from this roleplay to develop a story of mine))

 

Name: Orel-hin (or Orel)

Age: About 320 years old

Race: Telepath

Status: Hiding in the mountains, searching for a powerful lost artifact

Description: Usually appears as a young boy, is quiet and rarely speaks, preferring to mind his own business and expecting everyone else to do the same

 

Orel stared sadly at the ruins of the high north temple. It had contained one of the finest libraries ever compiled by the telepaths over the centuries, but now it had been burned to the ground, and some of the oldest, wisest telepaths in existence had been murdered. The determination and anger in the humans served as a block against their abilities, and could easily throw a telepath inexperienced in combat off guard. No telepath had ever fought in the entire of their history until the last few massacres, so in essence all of them had been inexperienced in combat. Only he and the remaining few telepaths could find the artifact now, and they had to do so before one of the humans accidentally stumbled upon it.

 

Projecting a mental impression of insignificance around him, Orel levitated himself carefully towards the ruins of the temple.

[Midtime]

((Name: Jisparienterae Margolutra Infentiraq... (He has a long name, like most mages, but few bother to remember them. He memorized his when he was barely old enough to remember. The slave masters don't care for long names, they call him Jispar)

Age: 12 years old

Race: Mage

Status: Enslaved

Description: He works in the mines, and knows how to fight well. He has to fight to kill anyone trying to steal from his ore pile. He was taken away when he was about three years old. He saw his parents killed by humans, so he hates them. He sometimes manages to slip to the nearby pub in his limited free time, where he discusses wild escape plans with his fellow mage slaves. Recently he has started thinking more rationally and deeply about his plans, and it won't be long before he starts being serious.))

 

Jisparienterae dragged his load of rocks on the poorly manufactured cart towards daylight. Welcoming daylight! He hadn't seen it for twelve hours. Dumping his cartload onto a bigger cart waiting just outside the entrance (pulled by more slaves) he sprinted away down the beaten road towards the pub. The fact that he was able to walk at all was amazing, since he had a half-metre-long gash down his side from a skirmish from another miner. Nevertheless, he ran.

[antiaircraft]

Orel stopped, suddenly on alert as alarm, confusion and anger erupted nearby. Increasing his mental defences to complete invisibility, he moved silently towards the source of the emotions. As he approached, he saw several human soldiers clustered around two officers, one of whom was female, who were engaging in an intense duel. He sighed internally as the female officer spun expertly, disarming and ending the life of the other officer in one clean move. Humans were a violent race, allowing for a few exceptions, with no appreciation for the preservation of life and knowledge. Maintaining his levitation to avoid leaving footprints on the muddy ground, he continued towards his goal.

[Boomer]

Name: Leron-Gi (Leron)

Age: 230

Race: Telepath

Status: In the mountains trying to find one of the few telpaths to teach him (it's hard to belive that all he can do is levitate).

Description: He traveled to all the mountains only to find the wisest telepaths dead.He gave up hope and went to kive in the northern ruins.

 

Leron sat in the Northeren ruins floating.He heard a noise outside "Oh great humans,better go seei don't mind if they kill me anyways I am so weak." he thought.

[antiaircraft]

Orel floated into the ruins of the temple, reducing his mental cloak to simply deflect attention. Then he felt it, or rather the emptiness where it should have been - a presence, a mind powerful enough to avoid his passive scanning of the surroundings. He frowned internally, facial expressions weren't his thing. It was too much to hope that one of the telepaths here had survived. He turned his head, and spotted a figure heading towards the human camp outside. He focused, and sent a powerful mental probe into the figure's mind, carrying a message: Do not go outside. The humans are ruthless, and do not care for the other races, as they showed when they destroyed this temple. You are a telepath are you not? Follow me, I am looking for something in this temple, and afterwards I can help you escape.

[Midtime]

Jisparienterae reached the pub. He never actually drank, slaves were only allowed the tiny portions of food the overseers threw into the dormitories twice a day, but he had some friends there.

He was just about to speak when a voice behind him taunted, "Why don't we have a little chat, huh?"

The owner of the voice laughed. He was the miner who had given Jisparienterae the gash. He had been born into captivity, though he was older then Jisparienterae, and was heavily muscled. Jisparienterae did not know his name. The rumours said he never mined anything for himself, he just bullied it out of others. Jisparienterae had managed to knock him out with the side of his pick, which was the reason for the ugly bruise on the other's forehead.

Beside the bully stood his two goons, also unnamed.

Jisparienterae knew he could not win this fight. There was only one thing to do...

 

RUN!

[Crusher]

Name: Orikan

Age: 363 Human Years

Race: Mage

Status: On the run

Description: Hates warfare. Many of his closest friends were Telepaths. Has been plunged into despair after many of his allies were slaughtered. Is seeking some Telepathic friends including Arun-Rama, Jispel, Orel, Luciana and Monifer.

 

Orikan flew through the forest, using his sorcery to levitate at extremely high speeds. In his mind, he pictured Orel. He cast several tracking spells, and found a match. Excellent. He tried with Luciana. Nothing. Then with Monifer. Nothing again. He did not like to think about their probable fate, quickly returning his focus to finding Orel. A tear slipped down his chin and dropped to the ground. In an instant Orikan had de-materialised it. There must be no evidence of his passing. He returned to his speed and found Orel within the hour. He cried out in delight. "My friend! It is so wonderful to see you again! I was so worried." He turned to the other telepath near him. "And who is this?"

 

Crusher

[antiaircraft]

Orel paused before replying, taking a while to divert the attention of the humans who had heard the shout. You would do well to stay quiet here, he sent the message mentally, I do not know the identity of this telepath, as I have never mind contact with him before. You need not worry about your other friends, he added, sensing Orikan's concerns, they are safe, but they do not have the experience to sense the source of tracking spells and let certain ones through like I did.

 

((I'm not sure if I made this clear enough, so please tell me if it isn't: mages use magic, while humans use sorcery))

[Crusher]

Orikan clamped his mouth shut. Waving a long, spindly arm, he cast a spell on the humans. Using his tracking and energy searching enchantments, he made sure there was no-one left in the sacred structure. "They are gone", he said, "the guards are asleep and will remain so for the next ten hours. The rest of the temple is clear. With my magic you will be safe, but I do not wish to cause harm to any unless it is necessary for our safty and well-being. How are you, Orel ? And why are you here?"

 

Crusher

[antiaircraft]

I am fine, but I'm afraid that the reason I am here is a secret that can be divulged to telepaths only, and even then only a select few, Orel replied. Come, you need not expend additional energy hiding yourself, I can cloak all three of us effectively.

[Crusher]

"I appreciate your help, dear friend, but there is something I need to discuss with you..."

Orikan's voice trailed off, he a made an extremely swift motion with his hand, and in an instant the other Telepath had frozen solid, ice-cold to the touch. "Do not be alarmed, Orel, you know me well enough to know that I would never hurt someone unnecessarily. I have frozen in him time so he will have no memory of this conversation ever happening, nothing more. Listen to me. We both are all too aware of the situation. The Wizards have gone crazy with bloodthirst, and the Humans are no better. The Telepaths are being hunted relentlessly. You and I both know where this will end. The Mages, Humans and Telepaths will be destroyed. Maybe a few will live, but the Humans and Mages will continue fighting to the death, and death will soon come to them, along with your race, the Telepaths. I have left my clan of Mages, as you know, due to a hatred of their violence. You have hardly any Telepaths left. We are both extremely experienced and aged, however you and I both have flaws! You have extreme knowledge, but cannot defend yourself. I do not have that knowledge, but I am the most powerful Mage of Defensive Magic there is. Together, we can help each other and work together. Set aside our races, if we do not co-operate we will DIE!"

 

Crusher

[antiaircraft]

I will accept that fact, my friend, and will gladly cooperate with you, but I sense that the mages have not fallen into blind conflict yet, however much they inch closer to it by the hour. Orel infused his message with a hint of the genuine sadness he felt. However, I must request assistance from you as well. We can both try to end this war, but there is a certain - artifact - that would render all our efforts futile. I apologise, but I have sworn oaths not to speak more of this. You will find out what it is if and when we, or one of the warring factions find it. I can assure you that if it is the latter that occurs, it will cast a dark shadow on the future of this world.

[Boomer]

((Wow that went fast))

 

"My name is Leron and you are right about me being a telepath" he said,"I can only levitate though" he paused for a second. "I think i know where the artifact you are looking for might be hidden."

[Crusher]

" Thank you my friend. Together we will end this futile war. I understand and respect your oaths, and shall say no more about this to anyone. If am I caught after deserting my ranks, I will pay with my life. I have secret knowledge which you must not share with anone else. The Mage Commander is planning on an attempt to join forces with the Humans temporarily against the Telepaths. He plans on wiping them out completely before they gain any combat skills. He is a very scared little man, and has no morals whatsoever. The Mages are growing tired of the battle and wish to have peace. The bloodshed has reached the extreme levels, too many have fallen. However, the Commander has proclaimed that any disagreement is to be treated as betrayal and the convicted to be sentanced to death...by body warping, a most disgusting way to use any magic. I know these things as I was his most trusted officer, and was the main creator of the magic barrier which has since been destroyed. You must move fast to retrieve this artifact you are searching for, or far more than you may have thought will be lost. I can help track it with my magic if you so desire. Once we have it, we need to train any Telepaths that are left, including you, in Defensive Magic." He waved his arms in an arc. "All living creatures, except for us three, within a 10 kilometre radius have been frozen in time, just like this Telepath here. This will buy you as much time you need, but you must hurry, I can only hold them for the next 24 hours. Take this Amulet of Light, it will protect you from any dark spirits and those whose hearts are filled with dread." Orikan hooked the dark yellow sphere from around his neck and handed it to Orel. "I will remain here, I sense this is a task you must complete as a Telepath, I have no right to interfere. I must remain here, focused, in order to hold those entraped in my time warp. I wish you the best of luck, my friend. I guess I better get him out of that state, eh?" He pointed his finger and chanted something Orel could not understand, and in an instant the other Telepath was full of life. Orikan listened to him, before replying "My name is Orikan. Carry on, I shall wait here."

 

Crusher

[antiaircraft]

Thank you Orikan - you are truly a friend. Orel turned away, and headed not towards the outside, but deeper into the ruins. He stopped by an oddly shaped stone that stood in the center of what had once been an effectively, though not lavishly decorated room. He drew back his fist and punched the stone, which gave out an uncharacteristic, sonorous ring. The illusion of the stone disappeared, revealing a pillar made up of a substance that looked metallic, yet crystalline at the same time. Orel stooped, and entered the pillar through an opening in its side. The illusion recreated itself behind him.

 

Inside the pillar, the walls were covered with a phosphorescent green slime, which gave off an eerie light in the confined space. Using his abilities, Orel reached into the slime, and into the tiny, yet still detectable consciousnesses of the bacteria making it up. He pushed out mental probes, sending out a series of pulses that cohered to a signal that the bacteria had, over time, been trained to recognise. There was no bang or flash of light, but when Orel exited, he did so out of a similarly disguised pillar, on the peak of a mountain several kilometers away.

[Crusher]

"Orel. Listen to me. I do not know if you can hear me, as I am unskilled in language through thought as I am not a Telepath, but you must hurry. More and more Humans have realised what has happened to their friends, and I now have close to five hundred of them frozen in time. They just keep coming, I can't hold them forever. At this rate of increase, I will be lucky to hold them for 8, maybe 9 hours. This may come close to killing me, but I would gladly die to spare you. I have forseen the future. You must not die, for you will...ungh..." Orikan passed out from the strain of using telepathy whilst using magic. He would awaken an hour later, with 1000 men about 100 meters from the temple. For the first time in his 363 years alive, he screamed.

 

Crusher

[antiaircraft]

Orel heard Orikan's telepathic message, and felt his consciousness slip away. At the same time, the minds of a group of dragons flying northeast through the mountains brushed his. He read the memories and emotions they were giving off, and after a while he understood what they were looking for. Fate likes to play games, doesn't she, he thought to himself. The family of dragons had returned to their home from a hunting trip only to find a group of human soldiers standing over their destroyed eggs. The humans had fled, and a few had survived, and these dragons were now tracking them to take revenge. Orel had analyzed the impressions of the humans' minds from the dragons' memories, and immediately matched them to ones he had picked up in the human camp.

 

He sent clear telepathic directions to the four dragons, along with a message which was not, in essence, a language but more a chain of thoughts. Fly here, Turn'stalé of the north, and you will find many humans around a destroyed temple. Among those are the ones you are hunting for. Inside the temple you will find two other beings. I must request that you leave them unharmed.

 

After a few seconds, the group changed course, following his directions. Two of them turned their heads to face him as they flew past, sending powerful jets of flame that burned deep scorch marks in the rock on either side of Orel. I wish you good hunting as well, Turn'stalé, and I thank you for accepting my request.

 

Orel watched the dragons follow their new course reverently. Highly respected by the telepaths, dragons were the apex predators of the peninsula; with their incredibly tough, magic-resistant hides, powerful jaws, and razor-sharp talons coupled with their calculating, highly intelligent minds, they were capable of taking down almost everything in their path, although they understood that to kill indiscriminately was a crime. Not even a fully equipped group of elite battle mages could face down a dragon without heavy losses, and as for four... Orel, now confident in the safety of his friends, levitated himself off the ground and started to cross to the next mountain peak.

 

((Turn'stalé = telepath word for dragon))

[The Original Luna]

Name: Rathunta De'lune Age: 16 Race: Human Status: Expert Ranger (sorta like a female Robin-Hood) Description: This girl reminds you of a regal dragon. She has deep-set gray eyes. Her luxurious, straight, red hair is worn in a style that reminds you of a pile of shredded paper. She is tall and has a wide-hipped build. Her skin is white. She has thick eyebrows. Her wardrobe is practical, and is mostly brown and Green.

-------------------------

Rathunta De'lune, one of the few human bandits to rebel against the king, of a former high-rank was hiding in the wood- knee-deep into thick gloopy mud. She turned and saw a mountain, hastily attempting to run up it. She only climbed a few lengths up before she was down with a arrow wound in her top left shoulder. She turned, and saw the pursuer's face before she threw a small boulder at them and spurted on a few more metres up. Before her wound overcame her and she fainted.

[Crusher]

In his unconsciousness, Orikan was dreaming, or at least that's what the Humans would call it. But Orikan was not dreaming, he was seeing the future. Ever since the age of 7, he had been able to un-willingly predict the future whilst asleep or unconscious. He had been labelled a freak and a dangerous user of Black Magic, which meant that he spent almost all of his time alone, reading arcane books of spells and magic. It was an abnormal ability, even for a Mage of his experience, and had lost many of his friends in the past.

 

"The King..I see the Human King...he is with...is it? The Mage Commander?" The image became blurry, and a new one formed in the mist around him. "There's Orel! He still has my amulet, that's a good sign. But wait, what's happening?! He's...oh no, no no! He can't do this!" The image cleared, and he woke with painful shock, like how it feels to be electrocuted.

He had no memory of the experience, except that he knew he had seen the future, it was important, and it concerned Orel. This was the third time something like this had happened about Orel. This worried him greatly.

 

He dazily stood up, when he saw it. One thousand men running at him, swords outstretched. Suddenly he was wide awake, throwing an invisible sphere-shaped force field around himself, strong enough to withstand 20,000 tonnes of pressure. Then he flew, not levitated, to about 20 feet above the humans and eyed them, enjoying their gaping looks. Suddenly he was scared. He did not know why, but he would soon find out.

 

He turned to see four fully-grown dragons flying at about 300 miles per hour towards him. He squinted to see the leader of the pack, and a twinkle appeared in his eye. He called to it in Dragoric, the main dialect spoken by dragons. It was his 5th language taht he had learnt, and was one of the easiest to master. What he said was completely uncomprehendable to a Human like you, reader, but here is its translation in English. "Vensiana! Is it truly you? How great to see you again!! It's Orikan, do you remember? Many years ago, you were my father's pet. Remember he always called you Venny?" The dragon stopped, suddenly unsure. "Venny...," it thought, "Why do I know that name?". Suddenly the memories came back. "Orikan...Orikan!" The dragon gasped. "Orikan, you're alive! H..how? And why are you not fighting with your clan?"

 

"It's..it's a long story. I'll fill you in later. But right now, how about giving me a hand with these Humans? You can have a roast! But, please, do not hurt those that try to flee. It is better for the King to be intimidated by us anyway, and unnecesary killing is not good for one's soul. Many fail realise that." Orikan called to the men. "If you wish to leave alive, do it now. This is your only chance. Stay and fight, and you will die. You have thirty seconds to leave. Then we will start the BBQ." About 70% of them men stayed, which was good, because if they hadn't Vensiana might have eaten him.

 

Later, after Venny had feasted and Orikan had collected food from the area around the temple, they sat and talked for the first time in over 300 years. They discussed their lives in general, and it was at around 10pm that Venny told him why she was there. Orikan was shocked that his friend would go to such lengths as risking his life to interfere with a pack of dragons to help him. He immediately told Orel through his mind about what had happened, and thanked him many times. Then he returned to his conversation with Venny. "They won't come back here for awhile, but when they do thre will be thousands of them. We will need you and your friends' help. How does coming along with us sound?" I will consult the pack first, but I would love nothing more than to do so. It has been too long, Orikan. This must never happen again." "Yes, my friend, never again." And so the conversation continued until the early hours of the next day.

 

Crusher

[antiaircraft]

Orel, levitating high above the wooded valley below him, smiled internally at Orikan's thanks. What telepaths had long ago realised from their detailed studies of nature, but the majority of the older, more warlike races still failed to comprehend, was that dragons were not the powerful, ruthless killers of legend. Orikan's father had been one of the first mages to finally accept this, but throughout the peninsula, dragons were hunted by both mages and humans alike. Telepaths and dragons, however, had respected each other as equals for centuries, each one avoiding interference with the other's activities, unless it was beneficial to them both.

 

Some other minds brushed Orel's consciousness, and he looked downward, with both his visual and mental senses, and he saw a young human child, surrounded a group of human horseman. Intriguing, he thought as he pulled the recent events from their memories. Inhaling deeply, he reached into the minds of the horsemen, their horses and several hundred of the small creatures in the wood around them, projecting the image of a furious dragon speeding down the mountain towards them. The small animals immediately took flight, and horses neighed loudly and bolted. Their riders didn't object, yelling in panic while simultaneously spurring their mounts onward and discarding their packs for greater speed.

 

Orel lowered himself to the ground, and knelt to inspect the downed human. Focusing intently on the arrow wound in her shoulder, he knitted the flesh back together, making sure to reconnect the blood vessels to avoid major blood loss. It was a crude job - nowhere near what a well trained healer mage could do, but it was sufficient. He levitated one of the horesmens' supply packs to him, and quickly found a blanket. He placed it carefully over her, making sure that the brown of the fabric hid her from view, and placed the pack beside her. As he left, he burned a mental message in her mind, the telepathic equivalent of leaving her a note to read when she awoke. You can stay here, or keep moving. Either way, I'll come back for you, and I wish you good luck.

[Crusher]

Orikan had been watching Orel in his bowl of water, which when properly manipulated through magic became an image tracking device for any living being. He was watching Orel, the dragons asleep near him. He was amazed at Orel's abilities, and considered another magical artifact he had, a bracelet of sorts, with each bead having a diffenerent power that could be activated at will, including immunity from all poison, animation of non-living objects to have them serve you, x-ray vision, force field creation and the ability to shapeshift. It was the most powerful magical artifact he had, but he had recently finished learning these things through spells, they had not been easy to learn. He decided to make a gift of it to Orel when he saw him next.

 

As he watched him attempt to heal the girl, he realised that he could not fully heal the girl. He used another spell to watch her be shot again, in the past. He was particulary interested in the archer who had shot her. He was right. That was bad. The arrow had been poison-tipped, and it would take his magic to save her. It was a rare kind of toad poison favoured by the Humans, and it was deadly within hours. Orikan conjured a clock face in the air. "In three hours, she will be dead. If the Humans were attacking her then she must not be an ally of theirs, maybe she could be an ally to us." He went over to Venny and woke her gently. "I'm going to teleport away from here to run an errand. I should be an hour and a half. Do not leave here, but if you must, use your thought to summon me." He waved three fingers over her in an oval pattern. "I have created a mind link between us. Simply think of me and I will be able to hear your thoughts. Stay safe." He quickly spoke in thought to Oren. "The girl you healed is poisoned. I am going to cure her or she will be dead in a few hours. I cannot wait for your reply, I have already wasted too much time." He snapped his fingers, and was gone.

 

He got his location perfectly correct, in fact he was standing on her. "Not a good start," he thought. He quickly bent down an began the procedure. The poison was already in her blood system, this was going to be tough to cure. He had less than two hours left before she died, teleporting is slow but appears to be fast. He worked quickly, chanting and motioning with his arms. With half an hour left, she began to sweat profusely, the poison beginning to take effect. She began to wake, and her eyes opened, full of terror. "Do not move! Stay where you are. You have been poisoned, I am healing you. There is no time to explain. If I do not work fast you will be dead within twenty minutes. Stay still and calm." He continued, faster now. He drew a circle around her with a long stick, and inscribed it with various Mage words. He then chanted louder and louder, faster and faster, and then stopped, just as suddenly as he had begun. It was over. She was healed. Five more minutes and she would have been a writhing mess for the dragons to eat. He shuddered at the thought, pushing it from his mind. He collapsed near her, panting. He had never performed such a complicated procedure in his life.

 

Crusher

[antiaircraft]

Orel acknowledged Orikan's message without replying, knowing that sending a mental message to a mage while they were teleporting could disrupt their concentration, and cause them to end up in some unpleasant places, while interrupting him during the healing ritual could have even worse consequences. Instead, he kept walking towards his destination, a place that had been a peaceful patch of woodland when he had last seen it. Now it was a barren patch of Earth, the entrance to a deep gem mine worked by mages that the humans had enslaved. Orel shook his head as he thought of the hundreds of young boys and girls that had been forced to work in that mine, deprived of their abilities by the cruelly fitted slave cuffs the humans prided themselves on making so well.

 

He stopped walking because a large, burly human was holding a spear to his chest. "What's this, kid?" he asked sneering. Several similarly gruff humans swaggered over, surrounding him and drawing spears and swords. "Hmm... let's see. A little boy wandering around in the woods. Most little boys would be scared of the woods, but you don't look one bit scared. That could mean only one - no two things. You're either a mage, or a telepath."

 

"So, what'll it be, kid?" jeered another one of the humans. "If you're a mage, we'll fit one of those cuffs on you and set you to some good hard work in the mine, if you're a telepath, we'll just send you to join all you're stinkin' little brothers and sisters in wherever you lot go when you're dead." All the humans laughed. They were still laughing when Orel hit them with a mental blast so powerful that a flock of birds nesting in a tree a few hundred meters away blacked out from the pain. Most of the humans collapsed, unconscious. The first one, who had originally threatened Orel, staggered backwards a few steps and fell over, but managed to remain conscious.

 

"You're a nasty little brat aren't you?" he said, getting up, raising his spear, "I'd better teach you some respect."

 

Orel reached into his mind, and almost casually drained the energy out of it, leaving the human barely enough to think. Holding him upright in a telekinetic grip, he said, Remember this, human: a telepath is a formidable opponent, and is not someone you want to provoke to anger. Never, ever, insult my fallen brethren again. With that, he drained the last of the energy from the human's conscious thought centres, and continued on towards the mining town.

[Midtime]

Jisparienterae woke up, and winced as the pain hit him.

It had been two days. Two days since he had been caught by the toughest slave in the mine.

He was not a pretty sight to see. Covered from head to toe with wounds and bruises, and the gash in his side still hadn't healed yet.

Getting up, he ate the dirty hunk of bread that had been left for him - breakfast. The other slaves were long gone. He would have to work extra hard if he was going to have dinner tonight. The panic let him half limp, half run down to the mine. The overseers would take any excuse to give a slave a lashing.

Luckily, the ones standing guard at the mine were busy taking away one slave's poorly maintained cart, which had finally broken, and replacing it with another poorly maintained cart. Jisparienterae managed to slip past them, taking a cart with him.

 

The sounds of the mine reverberated around him as he dug. So far, he had found virtually nothing.

Wait - what was that glimmer?

Right there, in the rock.

A gem!

He chipped away at it, and was even more excited to find another gem beside that one. They seemed to be connected together.

He worked more frantically, unearthing an entire cube of crystals! This was amazing! It seemed roughly one cubic metre in size!

"Hey, look! Jispar's found something!"

That was bad news. Jisparienterae looked up. A bunch of other slaves were running towards him.

The word spread, and more and more slaves came. Jisparienterae was quickly swamped in slaves, prising gems loose with their picks, coming to blows about who owned what.

"Hey, that's mine!"

"No, I got it, and dropped it later!"

"So? Finders keep - ow!"

"Hey, there's some kind of worthless old rock in the middle!"

"Never mind that, look at this piece I got!"

When it cleared, he was left with what he had begun with: nothing.

Both furious and dejected, Jisparienterae kicked at the stone that had been in the middle of the gem box; it was all anyone had left him.

The stone hit the wall, bounced off, and hit him in the head.

He was just about to hurl it away again when the red mist cleared slightly and he realised a rock should have shattered when it hit the wall, and definitely shouldn't have bounced.

Examining it more closely, he found it was perfectly round. Suddenly, an unreasonably strong feeling of curiosity and attachment to it came over him.

 

15 hours later, Jisparienterae dragged his cart up the steep incline and out into the twilight. The overseer began to take the gems out of the cart one by one, pretending to examine each closely. Really he was just looking for an excuse to punish the slave in front of him.

He picked up the rock. "What's this?! It's WORTHLESS!! You cheeky little scumbag!"

Suddenly, just like before, a feeling of immense bravery - an alien feeling to a slave - came over Jisparienterae, and he said, "In that case, can I keep it?"

"Sure. Whatever." muttered the slave miner, which was a weird change of mood, considering that he had been screaming a few seconds before. He thrust the item at Jisparienterae, who raced off elatedly to the slave dormitories.

 

((The stone is the artifact. Me and AA discussed this.))

[antiaircraft]

Orel reached the mining town, changing his appearance to that of an obscure human thief, and headed towards the source of the mental signal he had been following ever since he had arrived in the mountains. He was getting closer - he could sense it. The artifact's power generated a field of psychic energy that could be detected only by a telepath. It was also extremely painful to telepaths. Orel shrugged off the sensation, and headed down a back alley, disappearing into the shadows so expertly that a gang of muggers that had been following him decided that they had better things to do.

[The Original Luna]

Rathunta was suprised at the person near her. She sat up and gingerly touched her shoulder, expecting pain.

"Who are you?" she asked suprised. She would have been more standoffish if there had been more people present, but as it was her and the person, she was slightly less cautious.