TITLE: LORDS OF MAGIC 6 - THE FIRE GIANTS AUTHOR: DONNILEE E-MAIL: DONNILEE@SNET.NET WEBSITE: http://donnilee.tripod.com RATING: NC-17 CATEGORY: MSR SPOILERS: NOT A ONE. SUMMARY: Mulder and Scully find themselves on a magical world no one ever knew existed. They must fight for their lives and the lives of others if they are to ever make it back home again. DISCLAIMER: All characters used from the show, The X-Files are the property of Chris Carter, Ten Thirteen Productions, and Fox Broadcasting. No copyright infringement intended. No money made here. DISCLAIMER 2: All references to elements of the game, The Lords of Magic, belong to the creators of the computer game, Sierra Games. No copyright infringement intended. I have not just stolen characters as I have in the X-Files. This time I've stolen an entire universe! Just showing that I'm an equal opportunity thief! THANKS: To my beta readers, Cratkinson, FatCat, and XochiLuvr, who keep me from making major boo-boos and looking stupid. I really appreciate it. Go team! Thanks so much. This one has been beta read to death! Any errors herein are mine alone. DEDICATION: I would like to dedicate this story to my late grandmother, Blanche Claire Wright Green Taylor, better known as 'Tot'. She was Mahopac, Native American, and was probably the first person to excite my imagination, as she was a storyteller to end all storytellers. She entertained my sister and me for hours by reciting epic poems and stories, filled with adventure and happy endings. She couldn't read well and she couldn't spell for shit, but she had what counted most; an unlimited supply of unconditional love and an imagination without limits. She died over a decade ago, in her own bed, at home, at the age of 84. I still miss her. So thanks to my Gramma Tot, for making me believe imagination can take you far. XXXXXXXXXX PART 1 (NC-17) ASTARTE ELVEN TERRITORY We'd returned yesterday from Sahanna Village and finally spent the night in our own bed after three weeks of traveling. It was divine. We only had about four and a half weeks until the next full moon when the summit was to be held. That meant that we didn't have a lot of time to contact the remaining parties. We went to Temple and then spent some time in the Rejuvenation Temple. Afterwards, we went back to our room and stripped down. We were due for a meeting with Anzwen and Ashante in a couple of hours. Until then, though, our time was our own. Scully reached up and touched her fingers to my shoulder, rubbing her fingers around. I looked down and realized she was caressing the spot where my gunshot wound used to be. Used to be? I stiffened, feeling like an electric shock had gone through me. "Scully? What happened to my scar?" I asked. "I was just wondering the same thing," she replied. "I noticed some of mine have disappeared too." She stepped back away from me and my eyes went directly to her flat tummy. There was nothing there. The bullet wound that had graced her abdomen, a souvenir of a time when we were separated, was no longer evident. "How did I miss that?" I whispered. She shrugged. "We've had a few other things on our minds." "That's for sure, but still. I feel like an idiot that I didn't notice." "It must be the healing potions they gave us in Crestfall or the Rejuvenation Temple," she surmised. "Or both," I said. She launched herself into my arms and I banded mine around her waist, holding her tightly. I lifted her off the ground and spun around, sitting on the bed. She came into my lap without hesitation and cupped my face. "Mulder, I'm really scared," she admitted. I'd wondered when we would have this conversation. It was long overdue. "I know. So am I. I don't like that they think we're Saviors." "Not exactly a low-pressure situation," she said with sarcasm. I huffed. "No, it isn't, and what if they're wrong? They are placing so much hope and faith in us. Despite the fact that this isn't our home, I don't want to disappoint them. Frankly, though, I'm not comfortable being a Savior." It sounded ridiculous even as I said it. "It's so wild. I'm not even sure how I'm doing some of things I've done. I mean, Ashante has taught me how to focus my thoughts and it's basically an intense form of meditation. I could have faith in that, but when I see the results -- lightening bolts, rays of sun and creatures out of storybooks -- it's frightening as hell, Mulder." "It's rattled my normally stoic composure as well," I quipped. She laughed, knowing my composure teetered on the edge of hysteria at any given moment. "Why me?" she asked. "Why not you?" I countered. She stared at me, her hands falling down to my shoulders. My hands rubbed her bare hips, enjoying the feel of her baby-soft skin under my callused hands. "I'm not the believer, Mulder. It should have been you." I smiled. "Nonsense. You're a believer, Scully, just in different things. One isn't any more valid than they other. I've never believed that extreme possibilities and faith in a higher power were mutually exclusive. Some of what I call paranormal events, you might call a miracle from God." She took a deep breath and I watched the rise and fall of her generous breasts, which seemed to ride higher on her chest than before. There was no sag at all in them and she never wore a bra now. She'd arrived with one, but I couldn't say as I'd seen it since. I chalked up this change to the same thing; the very air in this place was magical, turning flaws into perfection. My body had never been this fit, even as an athletic teenager. In the vernacular of the body builder, my muscles were now ripped, my chest was cut, and my abdomen was a picture book six-pack. My thighs were thick and muscular now, and my calves were larger. I hadn't really given it much thought, attributing most of it to the rigorous exercise we were now getting. It was more than that though. I could see that now that I'd noticed the disappearance of the scars. It was subtle things, like the shape and perkiness of her breasts, and the broadening of my shoulders, the tightening of the gap between her ass cheeks. Neither of us had a blemish on our skin. I felt healthier than I ever had. "I don't know what I'm doing, Mulder. It's like I'm living some sort of live-action fantasy-adventure." I chuckled without mirth. "I know what you mean. I just don't see what else we can do except play along. They are the only ones that can help us go home. We HAVE to find that portal." "Ashante said the one she KNOWS will take us back to Earth is in Skulldown. She's not even sure the one purported to be in the Barbarians' territory is real or fiction. If it does exist, she couldn't guarantee where it would take us." "That's not a happy thought," I commented. "I don't want to go through a portal only to end up someplace worse or even more hostile than this. At least here everyone's trying to make sure we stay alive." She sighed deeply. "I don't like feeling scared," she whispered. The admission was painful for her, I could tell. "It's okay to be scared, Scully. You wouldn't be human if you weren't." "You don't seem scared," she said, almost sounding petulant. "Neither do you," I replied. "But you are, right?" I met her stare and said, "Terrified." She licked her lips. "The only time I really feel safe and unafraid is when you're holding me," she said softly. "Aww, Scully," I said, not knowing what else to say. I pulled her to me and kissed her tenderly, our noses brushing. I reached up and tipped her head to the side, deepening the kiss. I took my time, feeling languid. Arousal stole over me like a slow but steady wave and I stiffened underneath her. She rocked her pelvis against my hardening shaft and I moaned, throwing my head back. Her lips found my Adam's apple and kissed me there. She moved up my neck to my ears, making me shudder. XXXXXXXXXX NC-17 PORTION XXXXXXXXXXX I turned and lay her down on the bed on her back. I lay on my side and began gently probing her juncture. I found her clitoris and moved my finger over it in a quick, fluttering motion, coaxing it out from under its hood. She mewled in pleasure and I felt myself become fully erect. I slipped two fingers in between her nether lips and pressed deep, feeling her wet arousal coat my fingers like honey. I stroked slowly, pulling her moisture out and teasing her clit again. She squirmed and thrust her pelvis into my hand. I smiled down at her and she blurted out, "Tease!" I chuckled and lowered my head, running my tongue over her puckered areola and finally taking it into my mouth. I sucked gently and lapped at the hardened bud, eliciting another round of low moans. I stroked her with my fingers again and my thumb found her clit. It was hard and spongy as I circled it. I felt it pulse under my thumb and she cried out in pleasure. "Ahhh, God!" I spoke softly to her. "It's like a plump berry, Scully. I think I need to taste it." She groaned and spread her legs wider in invitation. I didn't hesitate and slid down, positioning my head between her legs. I curled my hands around the outside of her thighs and pulled her legs open as wide as they would go. Her knees bent and she rested her heels on my shoulders. I inhaled, closing my eyes and she whimpered. "God, I love seeing you down there," she said. "I love being down here," I admitted. I dove in, lapping at her tangy wetness and driving my tongue into her as deeply as it would go. I felt my erection, hot, hard, and massive against the sheets. I pressed down, trying to relieve some of the ache. Ladies first, that was my motto. She whimpered again and I said roughly, "Do it, pump on my tongue. Show me how good it feels." I went back to lapping at her and then just pressed on her clitoris, sliding my tongue up and down each side of it, alternating back and forth as she lifted her hips, pressing onto my tongue and face. I removed my right hand from her leg and brought it beneath me, sliding two fingers back inside her as I kept up the assault on her nerve bundle. She shrieked and panted, "Yes, yes, just like that. Yes, yes." I sped up, pressed a little harder with my tongue, and she went off like a rocket. "Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, Awwwwwwwwwwwww!" She bucked harder and I felt her walls squeeze my fingers in a rapid-fire series of spasms. I licked her gently as she came down and then finally crawled up on my knees. My face was covered in her juices from the chin down. I wiped a drop from my chin and licked it off my finger. Her eyelids were heavy and at half-mast. She hummed low, watching me. I reached down and grabbed my twitching cock. "What do you want, Mulder?" "To be inside you," I said without hesitation. She smiled. "Top or bottom?" I flopped down on the bed, twisting onto my back. "Ride me," I croaked out. She crawled atop me, straddling my hips and ground herself into my aching erection. I moaned. "Please, Scully. God, I need you." She hummed and rose up on her knees, taking me in hand and positioning me under her. Once seated, she put her hands on my shoulders and suddenly let herself slam down onto my shaft, burying me deep in one harsh stroke. "Oh fuck!" I shouted, feeling her walls stretch and vibrate on my shaft. I reached up and took hold of her breasts as she began to ride me, kneading them gently, pinching one nipple, rolling the other and then switching. She made an adorable wheezing, mewling sound as she rode me. The sound went right to my groin and made me throb. I was in a rapture of strange pleasure, feeling her need and love for me flow out of her in waves. Suddenly, I felt her mind touch mine. Her lower stomach tilted and rode her clit over my pubic bone. I was slammed with a feeling unlike anything I'd ever experienced. Her love, need, desperation for me thundered into my mind in heavy crashing waves. "Aaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!" I bellowed, totally unable to articulate a real word. She was wailing, "Whoa, whoa, whoa!" I forced my eyes open and stared into her dilated pupils. I let myself feel all my own need, love, and desperation for her. I knew the second she saw it on my face, in my eyes, and the moment it hit her mind, like hers was hitting mine. We both screamed in ecstasy, letting out long, keening shrieks of pleasure. Her body vibrated on mine, her pussy squeezing me unbelievably tight. I swear I felt my cock grow fatter and wedge itself inside her. She couldn't even really lift herself off me anymore as the convulsions shook us. Instead, she rocked, grinding my cock deep inside her. I felt a massive wave of heat envelop my cock and then her vagina clamped on me in a final wash of pleasure and didn't let go. I screamed, and felt cum rocket out of my cock so fast and so hard, it made me dizzy. I closed my eyes and let it take me. Viscerally, I was aware of my body jerking and convulsing like I was having a seizure. I was vaguely aware that hers was doing the same thing. The pleasure was mind-boggling. Just as I began to have a glimmer of sanity peek through and make me worry about what was happening, it began to fade. XXXXXXXXXX END NC-17 PORTION XXXXXXXXXX Scully swayed dangerously and then collapsed on my chest, out like a light. She had passed out cold. I shook her gently. "Scully," I croaked, realizing my voice was raw from screaming. She didn't respond. I put my hand in front of her lips. She was breathing. I could feel her rapid heart beat against my chest. I went to roll her to side and realized we were stuck together. Literally stuck. I tried to withdraw and her vaginal muscles clamped hard, causing me to yelp. I rolled us so we were on our side, her leg thrown over my hip. I panted, unsure what to do. I kissed her forehead, nose, eyelids and cheeks. "Scully, come back to me, baby." Her eyelids fluttered and finally managed to stay open. I felt a wave of relief. "What happened?" she whispered, barely audible. "You passed out," I said simply. "Besides that?" "We're stuck together," I said, wondering at how calm I sounded. If I had to be stuck somewhere, inside Scully's body was not a bad place to be. She scrunched her brow and then wiggled, causing us both to groan. "What the hell?" "Stay still a minute. Try to relax." "My leg is falling asleep." I rolled again, hugging her close and lay on my back. She lifted her torso, and placed her elbows on the bed next my ribcage. "Should we call for help?" I grinned. "Not yet. I'd rather not have others involved in this situation if we can help it." I was finally feeling my erection start to soften just a bit. I was still painfully erect. "I think I'm starting to soften. Just relax. Maybe if we both concentrate on relaxing our groin muscles, it will help." She nodded, closing her eyes and whimpered. "My muscles ache. It's like a cramp inside and it won't let go." "Hold on." I grasped her tightly and sat up in bed. "Wrap your legs tight around my waist." She did and I stood gingerly and walked to the bathroom. She clung to me as if her life depended on it, her arms tight around my neck. I carefully lowered us into the bubbling, warm water of the bath. She sighed and we just sat there for a few moment. "It's letting up," she whispered. I nodded, resting my chin on her shoulder and rubbed up and down her back gently. Slowly but surely, her vaginal muscles relaxed and my cock began to deflate. I felt a sting when I finally fell out of her and the warm water surrounded my soft, but still aching shaft. We both sighed in relief and stayed in the water, holding each other, not talking. She finally sat back away from me and moved to sit next to me. "Something extraordinary happened, Mulder." "I know. I'm just not sure what it was." She took a few deep breaths. "Did you feel it?" I nodded. "It was like you entered my mind, Scully. I could feel all your emotions; how much you love me, how desperately you need me," I said, hearing the hitch in my voice. "Yeah, I felt the same from you. God, I've never felt ecstasy like that in my life." "Me either," I said softly. I put my arm over her shoulder and then leaned down to kiss her softly. I pulled back and said, "Why did we get stuck? It was like your muscles locked onto me and that was it." She looked up at me fearfully. "I don't know, but my stomach feels funny." "What do you mean, your muscles are sore?" "No," she said softly. She laid her hand on her stomach just above her pubic hair. "Scully?" "I don't why, Mulder, or how, but I think," she started, cutting off around a sudden sob. "What?" I asked, feeling a dart of panic. She gazed into my eyes and said, "I think you just got me pregnant." XXXXXXXXXX PART 2 (PG-13) ASTARTE ELVEN TERRITORY We didn't have much time to discuss it. A knock sounded on the outer door and we scrambled out of the bath, wrapping towels around ourselves. I told her to stay in the bathroom, and I went out to answer the door wearing nothing but the towel. Anzwen stood there. "I'm sorry to interrupt," he said, glancing at my towel. "What's wrong?" "Can you two dress quickly and come to our meeting chamber?" "Of course. What's going on?" "I'd rather explain it when you get there." "We'll be right there," I said. He nodded and turned away. I closed the door. Scully was emerging from the bathroom and heading for our dresser that contained all our new clothes given to us by the Elves. She'd overheard what he said. She slipped the sari-like, canary-yellow garment over her head and slipped on a pair of gauzy panties that the Elves wore. I began to dress in soft cotton leggings and a tunic as I watched her slip her feet into her sandals. With practiced ease that belied the amount of time we'd been doing it, we strapped on our belts and attached the various pouches, weapons and necklaces to our persons. It didn't take five minutes and we were out the door and striding toward the meeting chamber that was located behind their throne room. I knocked sharply two times on the door. Dorian immediately opened it and he waved us in. I stepped in and gasped. I'd seen them from a distance on our ride here when we'd first arrived. Up close was whole other story. There were two of them. I knew what they were instantly; Fire Giants. Their skin was red as an apple and smooth as glass. The male was completely bald and I couldn't see a single hair on his body, or the portions of it that were exposed anyway. He stood nearly ten feet tall, I estimated. His biceps bulged, as big around as both my thighs. His legs were like tree trunks. What looked like dark kohl makeup surrounded his eyes. The white corneas stood out in stark relief, nearly glowing in his face. I almost expected to see red irises, but I didn't. They weren't normal either. They were black as coal. There was no distinction between his irises and pupils. A thick, red leather tunic, black belt and knee-high black leather boots completed his ensemble. His companion, a woman, was bald as well, but had black curling tattoos all over her scalp like a skullcap. She wore some sort of odd Mohawk like headdress of multi-colored feathers. I couldn't tell how the hell it was anchored to her head. She wore what looked like a heavy black tunic, belted at the waist. It hung to just below her knees. Instead of boots, she wore black sandals, with leather strips that crisscrossed her legs all the way up to her knee. Several pouches hung off her red sash, and a walking stick that was as tall as she was stood at her side. It looked like twisted black coal. The largest ruby I'd ever seen was wedged on the top of it, embedded in the coal-like staff. She was only four or five inches shorter than he was. Her skin was just as red and her kohl rimmed eyes just as black. Both had bare legs and bare arms. She was thinner than he, thin being a relative term. She was obviously muscular, but her waist was proportionally smaller than the rest of her. Anzwen stood silent, giving us chance to take them in. We didn't hide our open perusal. Finally the male smirked. "Seen enough, Elflings?" His voice was low bass but not overly loud. "I'm sorry," I apologized immediately. "We only saw you from a distance on our way in." "Same here. We had no idea who you were, but we have an agreement with your hosts to let them pass unmolested through the Red Valley." One of the pouches on his belt was like a small pocketbook with a flap closure over the top. It moved suddenly and a small red head popped out, sprouting a wild tangle of orange hair. 'Troll doll' was the first thing that came to mind. "That no Elfling, Master," it squeaked. The Giant looked down at the creature as though it was bothersome. "Did anyone ask your opinion, Jebbert?" he asked, obviously amused. If the creature fit in that pouch, it couldn't be more than six inches tall. "No, you never ask. So Jebbert just tell," it rattled off in a rapid-fire speech. "Go back to sleep," the Giant instructed, as though dealing with an errant child. "No. No sleep for Jebbert. These two much more interesting." "Jebbert," he said the warning in his tone obvious. The incongruity of the situation was hitting me. I glanced at Anzwen and saw him grinning. "That is an Imp," Anzwen said, pointing at the misbehaving Jebbert. "Ooooooo, you smart Elfling," he said sarcastically. "Jebbert! Be quiet or I'll toss you in one of their toilets." "Nooooo, no water, Master!" "Then shut up," he said menacingly. The recalcitrant Imp slouched, ducking down, just his nose and eyes above the edge of the pouch. Its mouth scrunched up like it was going to cry but it didn't. "Jebbert be quiet," he said in a soft squeak. "Good," the Giant said, clearly exasperated and rolled his eyes. "Now, I'm remiss. I haven't even made a proper introduction. My name is Darjon, war lord of the Fire Warriors." I stepped closer and held out my hand, "Pleased to meet you. I'm Mulder." The Fire Giant carefully took my hand and shook it. His hand swallowed mine as though it were a child's hand. His hand was exceedingly warm, but it didn't burn. Scully was staring wide-eyed, seemingly frozen, so I said, "This is my partner and mate, Scully." He gave her a quirky, crooked smile and carefully lifted her hand in his palm. He patted the top of her hand gently with his other hand and said, "Don't be afraid, Elfling. I won't hurt you." Jebbert muttered, "NOT an Elfling." Then he stuck his bottom lip out. The Giant ignored him. Scully smiled tremulously. "I'm sorry, I'm just so overwhelmed. We've seen many things in the last few weeks. It's a bit much to take in sometimes." "I can imagine. This annoying little creature with me is correct though. You aren't an Elf, are you? And you don't look like a Barbarian or a Knight either." I don't know why but I was surprised by his articulate speech. I could hear the whisper of their language behind the words of the translator hanging on my ear. Somehow, though, I'd expected them to be brutes, unsophisticated or boorish, all brawn and no brain, so to speak. Clearly, that was not the case. Scully said, "We're Humans. We come from another planet called Earth. It's in the Milky Way Galaxy." "Hmmm," he hummed. "It was your ship that crashed in Skulldown?" "No," I answered. "We'd been abducted for no good purpose by what you call other-worlders. Something went wrong and we crashed. They were all killed." "Lucky for you," he intoned solemnly. "Depends on how you look at it," I said blandly. He smirked again. "Lucky for us, lucky for us, instead," the Imp squeaked. The Giant patted the pouch closed with a snap of his wrist and I heard the Imp cry out, "Owwwwwwwwieee!" Then it grunted and was silent. I couldn't help chuckling. "Is he a pet?" I asked. The female Fire Giant made a sound for the first time. She threw back her head and laughed heartily. The Elves and we joined in, not sure what was so funny. When her mirth died down, she said, "It can seem that way, yes. But they actually work for us." "Doing what?" I asked. I couldn't imagine what these tiny creatures could do for a Fire Giant. Its head popped up out of the pouch and squealed enthusiastically, "Sppppyyyyyyyyyy!" The Giant groaned and sent a scathing look at the Imp. "Not with that mouth, you don't." The Imp looked properly offended and shook his wild crop of hair. "You need Jebbert." "Not right now, I don't. We are guests and not on a mission." He paused dramatically and then said, "There's a lot of water here in Astarte," sounding almost flippant. "Bully!" he muttered and disappeared into the pouch again. I looked at Scully and she was grinning. "What are his talents?" His head emerged and the Giant bopped him on the head with one finger. He disappeared again. "They can move very fast, almost a blur to the eye. They are small and can hide and be very inconspicuous when they aren't chattering like a dying bird," he said sarcastically. "Haarrruuummmpphhh," was heard from inside the pouch. "They have extraordinary memories; can repeat conversations they overhear verbatim. Comes in very handy. Again, I've been remiss." He turned and gestured to his companion. "This is Loopkar. She is the head sorceress of Cyneraayt." We both bowed at the waist, not really knowing if they had special greeting customs. She bowed back but stayed silent. Anzwen said, "Let's all sit down." I couldn't help but wonder where these enormous people were going to sit. We all sat and they pushed the chairs out of the way. A Dryad appeared with two large pillows, which she handed to them. They dropped them on the floor and lowered themselves to the ground, sitting cross-legged. Sitting on the floor, their heads were taller than any of us seated at the table. "Now then," Anzwen said. "Let's get down to business." Darjon nodded. "We received word," he began. "From an Imp!" Jebbert squeaked from below the table rim. "That the Elves were sending an envoy to request all the races attend a summit here at the next moon." Ashante said, "We were headed for Cyneraayt when we had a set back." "Yes, we heard about the unusual battle at Little Rock," he said. "From an Imp!" Jebbert repeated. The Giant sighed and rolled his eyes. He reached down to his waist and came up with the Imp grasped in his palm. He squeezed and it squeaked. "Jebbert, for the last time, shut up or I'm dunking you in the toilet!" "Bully!" Scully laughed out loud. She said, "How about you come here and sit with me. We'll make a deal. You be quiet, and we'll let you sit here at the table and observe out in the open." "YES! Nice Human!" Jebbert squealed. "Jebbert hate being left out!" he exclaimed. The Giant looked disgusted, but opened his fist. Looking exactly like a naked troll doll, the Imp dropped to the table and scampered across so quickly I barely saw him hurdle the tea set in one leap. He launched himself from the edge of the table in a flying kick and landed on Scully's shoulder. "Oh!" Scully exclaimed and laughed again. He stood triumphantly on her shoulder, one hand on top of her head and bowed. All the Elves chuckled. The Giants just shook their heads. Scully turned and said, "You promised now. You must not interrupt. Don't break your promise." "I won't," he said quickly. He settled down, sitting on her shoulder, one leg bent at the knee and up under his butt. The other leg hung negligently off the edge of her shoulder and swung back and forth. Darjon continued, "All right. Now, we heard of your setback and decided to save you the trip to Cyneraayt. King Raul sent Loopkar and I here to find out what was going on and tell you we would like to be included in any summit of the races." Anzwen asked, "Even if the Amazons are here?" He nodded gravely. "These are troubled times. I won't pretend to understand or like the water worshippers, but we understand the gravity of the situation. Fongel can be an idiot. Both our territories border Skulldown. If an attack takes place, it's going to hit Stonehaven or Cyneraayt first. They can't get to you without going through one of our territories. King Raul doesn't want to be caught in the middle. Flames know he has no love of the Drow." Loopkar added, "Last week, the Drow attacked Cinder Village on our southern border. Anzwen turned to us. "That village is southeast of where we crossed through the mountains when we took you out of Skulldown." I nodded understanding. "What happened?" "It was a massacre," Darjon said. Scully's eyes widened. "Were you horribly outnumbered?" He nodded. "As you can imagine, it's a horrible blow for Fire Giants to lose a battle to Drow. A Drow death warrior would never defeat a fully trained Fire Giant." "Then how did they?" I asked, careful to keep any censure out of my voice. "Death magic," he said. "The Drow were there. However, our spies report that the Drow warriors were not the problem. The vampires, liches, and death shades were the problem." I glanced at Scully. Jebbert was now sitting cross-legged on her shoulder, his elbow on one knee, and his hand curled under his chin. He looked like Rodin's 'Thinker'. His eyes darted everywhere. Despite his phony relaxed pose, I could tell he was dying to say something. I had to give him credit though. He was quiet as a mouse, keeping his promise. "Skeletons were the problem at Little Rock," Scully informed him. He nodded. "They have to make sacrifices to create vampires and death shades." "I know what those creatures are in our mythology, but just to be sure, what are they capable of here?" I asked. "Good question," Ashante complimented. "The vampires, if they touch you, can suck your blood out, effectively bleeding you to death in about fifteen seconds." "In our lore, they have to bite you to suck your blood out," I said. Ashante was shaking her head. "Not these. They just have to grab you. If you are lucky enough to get away, you might live before you lose too much blood. Usually, however, it bleeds out your pores so quickly that you become too weak to resist." "That's not a pretty picture," Scully commented. "No, it's not," Darjon said. "Quite a few warriors were killed this way." "What about the liches?" I asked. Loopkar said, "Liches aren't conjured like the vampires and shades or animated like the skeletons." "What are they then?" Scully asked. She made an odd face. "They are necromancers." "Excuse me?" I said. "What do you mean?" She looked at me. "In order to do Death magic, you make a sacrifice, but not a blood sacrifice as is made to create shades and vampires. The necromancer himself sacrifices a bit of his life force, his soul, if you will, every time he uses his magic. Depending on how often he uses it and how grand are his spells, will determine how quickly he turns into a lich." "Wait a minute. Drow necromancers turn INTO liches?" I asked, incredulous. This was too much even for me to grasp. Loopkar nodded. "You look stunned. It's true. We all have our physical beings, but that is just a shell. The other part of us, the life force, the soul, and the energy that makes us who we are is what is needed to create Death magic. We only have a finite amount. When it is gone, it is gone. At that point, the necromancer turns into a lich." I knew I looked confused. "We can't live without life force, soul, whatever. When it's gone, why don't they just die?" "There is no mana in Skulldown." "So?" I asked. Ashante said, "Let me see if I can explain this." Scully and I both turned to her. Jebbert made a chittering sound, fluttering his lips, but he didn't say anything. Scully turned and raised her eyebrow at him, silently reminding him of his promise. He put a finger to his lips and smiled sweetly. She sucked in her cheeks so as not to laugh. This was too serious a discussion to take lightly. She turned her attention back to Ashante. "Mana is what creates magic. It is the link, if you will, between living creatures and the planet's magnetic core. The planets core has opposing magnetic fields that are constantly colliding below the surface of the land. That creates energy. We call it mana. That energy allows us to manipulate the elements in the world around us, including the sun, the water, the clouds, and the earth. Do you understand?" Scully and I nodded. "The problem is that mana leeches into the world from the core through living things." "People?" I asked. She shook her head. "No, through flora, fauna, water, earth, air, fire; basically through living things, be they elements or plant life." Understanding dawned on me. "Nothing grows in Skulldown. It's a barren wasteland, right?" She nodded. "Yes, you did not see just a portion of Skulldown that is desolate. The entire territory is barren. Nothing grows there. No plant life, animals, nothing. Only the Drow survive there and a few beasts that they raise. Because the rest of the races worship either living things or the elements, and nurture them, we are blessed with an abundance of mana we can gather from our world and use to our advantage. In other cases, it merely seeps into the elements and benefits us." "Benefits us how?" Scully asked. Ashante smiled. "You had scars when you arrived, no? I saw them through your torn clothing." Scully nodded. "Yes, they're gone now." Ashante nodded. "Where there is sun, there is life and the air is oxygen rich. Oxygen traps mana and we absorb it right through our skin if there is an abundance. It is why most inhabitants of this planet have very few physical flaws." Darjon said, "It is why our skin is so smooth." Anzwen said, "Why our muscles develop so well without a lot of effort." "How do the Drow survive?" Scully said. Loopkar said, "If you were to see a Drow up close, be able to see beneath the clothes, you would see the difference. They retain their battle scars. Their ability to heal is very stunted. Everything takes a toll on their bodies. There is no mana in Skulldown because there are few creatures and no plant life. The only living things in Skulldown are the Drow and a couple of reptilian and horse-like creatures that have adapted to the environment. The only thing that grows is the Drow." "So the only thing that absorbs mana from the core?" I puzzled. Ashante finished my thought. "Is the Drow. So when they use magic, instead of drawing mana from the life around them, it gets drawn from their very bodies." "Christ Almighty," Scully whispered. "Why would they do it?" Ashante shrugged. "We don't know. We believe it is why their skin turns black, why their hair is snow white. They have been corrupted by the evil forces of the universe, the hell spawn of the nether world." "Hell spawn?" Scully asked skeptically. Anzwen said, "It seems these things don't exist where you come from. Here though, demons of all sorts, what we call hell spawn, exist on another plane, an ethereal plane of existence, parallel to this one." Ashante said, "Hell spawn have no emotions other than anger and hatred. It infects anything they come in contact with. If you encounter a hell spawn, you will be corrupted or you will die." "So the Drow have become hell spawn?" Scully asked. Loopkar shook her head. "No, but they have been corrupted by it. Over the generations, their LOVE of all living things, of all elements of nature, of all life has been drained from them." "They weren't always like this?" I asked. Loopkar and Darjon looked at the Elves, but said nothing. I turned to Anzwen. "What is it?" He looked up. "Much to our shame, the Drow were once us, many, many moons ago." "What do mean, they were once, US?" Anzwen sighed. "They were once Elves." XXXXXXXXXX PART 3 (PG-13) ASTARTE ELVEN TERRITORY After that startling revelation, we settled in for more history. "May I?" Loopkar asked politely. "Please do," Ashante said. The sorceress looked at us. "This all began a millennia ago. A disenchanted group of Elves decided they wanted to seize power from the reigning royalty of the time. No one really knows or recalls what their complaints were. That has been lost in the annals of time. However, the history that was preserved tells us that they somehow learned how to reverse some of the magnetic pulls in the core by drilling or digging into the earth. "When this disruption occurred, a gate was opened between the nether world and this one. It allowed hell spawn to spill into Urak. The Elves that unleashed this horror and thought to use the hell spawn to seize power over the entire planet didn't count on one thing." "What was that?" I asked. "They couldn't command or control the hell spawn they had unleashed on Urak." "So the hell spawn commanded and controlled them?" I guessed. She nodded sagely. "Exactly. They were powerful and the Elves were easily overwhelmed. The only luck of the situation was that they had chosen to travel to the one area of Urak that was not claimed by any race. It was a common territory where we used to go and set up markets, freely trading with the other races, sharing the precious resources of the planet. There was a time when all the races coexisted peacefully." "That territory was Skulldown," Scully stated, correctly surmising the chain of events. Loopkar nodded again. "Yes, they needed to work in solitude. If anyone had known what they were doing, they would have stopped them. They chose the one moon during which we didn't trade and traveled to Skulldown. Back then it was called Tada, which was an Elven word for 'common'." "They worked their magic, unleashed the hell spawn and were immediately enslaved by them?" I asked. "Yes. The hatred of the hell spawn infected them quickly. They realized their mistake and whatever magic and minerals they were using to reverse the magnetic field were removed, but it was too late. The gate was closed but within days, the scores of Elves that had wished to rebel had been transformed into what you see now." "The Drow," Scully muttered in conclusion. She continued. "The hell spawn are greedy, thrive on hatred and their very existence leeches mana from the earth to sustain themselves. Within a generation, the Drow were black of skin, white of hair, and filled with hatred for all living things. There were no exceptions." "Tada was transformed into Skulldown," I commented, following the logical chain of events. "A barren wasteland," she clarified. "The hell spawn, various demons and demi-demons taught the Drow their spells of death and hatred for all living things. Once the Drow started performing the dark arts, they began losing their life force. Now there are two alternatives to death for the Drow." I raised my eyebrows, waiting. She said, "They can make a blood sacrifice and use their magic to leech the life force from others. This is what the hell spawn have taught the warriors and assassins of the Drow." "The second option?" "Become a necromancer, learn the dark arts and eventually become a lich." "Why would you want to become a lich?" I wondered out loud. Loopkar scowled. "Because, upon becoming a lich, you lose your physical body as we know it. You have effectively become hell spawn. You don't need to make sacrifices because you have no physical body to feed and sustain. You don't need to eat, you don't need to sleep, and you can kill any living thing by breaking its skin and sucking its life force right out its body." "Do they need the life force to continue to live?" She shook her head. "No, they are undead, in effect. However, once a lich, the life force does not feed and sustain a physical body. Instead, it makes them more powerful magically. Their ability to kill takes less and less effort." "Creepy," Scully said softly. "Indeed." "How are we supposed to fight these things?" Ashante said, "For whatever reason, perhaps because they used to be Elves, our sun and life magic is the most damaging to them. Their one weakness has always been that they cannot leave Skulldown except under rare circumstances where there was a violent storm and all the sunrays were blotted out. Even then, if they were caught when the clouds broke, the sun killed them instantly, fried them to ash." "Do they need to do magic to sustain the cloud cover over Skulldown?" I asked. Loopkar shook her head. "No, it has always been so since Skulldown came into being. No one really knows why. Most of us have surmised that it must be the consequence of all the evil magic. It's creates darkness, never light. Therefore, we believe if we could eliminate the dark magic, the clouds would disappear as well and life would return to Skulldown." I nodded. "So Elven magic is the most likely to be harmful to them?" Ashante nodded. "Yes, other magic can harm them though. The dilemma now is figuring out how they are managing to leave Skulldown. The fear is that the cloud cover over Skulldown will begin to spread. When it does, the land will begin to die." Scully asked. "You think all of Urak would become Skulldown? A barren wasteland?" She nodded. "That is our fear. That is their hope. They want to rule every living thing or kill it. They are so infected with hatred that they know nothing else. They live for it." "You mentioned someone named Golgoth and someone named Balgoth before. Who are they?" Anzwen replied. "Golgoth is the God of Death. He rules the netherworld and all hell spawn. It is said that once the gods roamed Urak - but they left, sacrificed their flesh to imprison Golgoth in the netherworld. He has never forgiven them, and has struggled for millennia to come back and be in the flesh." "What about Balgoth?" I asked. "He was Golgoth's right hand, his first lieutenant, whatever you want to call him. He is half demon, or all demon, no one's really sure. Somehow, we believe the Drow opened the gate again and Balgoth has entered this world. His mission is to conquer Urak and find a way for Golgoth to become flesh." "Are there Drow babies? Do they procreate?" Scully asked. Ashante nodded. "Yes, but infrequently and they are not a fertile race anymore." "Anymore?" Scully questioned. "The Elves are a very fertile race, in case you haven't noticed," she said, smiling. "We have herbs we take to prevent pregnancy if that is our wish. However, if we want a child, all we do is stop taking the herbs. It usually only takes one mating and we will be pregnant." Scully's lower lip quivered. "I was barren when I came here," she said. Ashante raised her eyebrows. "I would know that if I probed you with my healing magic, but I never did. I don't do that without permission or need." Scully nodded. "The funny thing is that for some reason, I think I got pregnant. It doesn't make any sense." Anzwen smiled. "It might. The mana of the Plains may have been absorbed into your body and healed your reproductive system." "That could happen? From this mana absorption?" she asked. He nodded. "Easily. It's unheard of for an Elf to be barren, unless they are severely injured in that area. Even then though, we can generally heal them and the mana makes the repairs to broken bodily systems." Scully swallowed hard and looked at me. I smiled at her. Ashante said, "Do you want a child?" "More than anything in the world," Scully said quietly. Ashante smiled. "I'll examine you later and tell you for sure." "Right. I'm sorry. That's not what we're here to discuss." Darjon smiled. "Babies are always something to celebrate. However, we do need to get going. We will be here for the summit." "Thank your king for us, Darjon. As always, we are grateful for your reason and reliability." He and Loopkar stood up and handed their pillows to the waiting Dryad who had all but disappeared in the corner of the room throughout this entire discussion. Darjon crooked a finger at Jebbert and he stood on Scully's shoulder. "Me talk now?" he asked in a persnickety tone. Darjon nodded. "Very well." "Loopkar agree. These two Saviors from prophecy. No?" Loopkar nodded. "I agree." "She have flame hair like Jebbert," he said. "Good sign." We all chuckled. "Come on, Jebbert. We're going home." He leaped onto the table and skipped across its surface, doing one full twirl in the middle of the table on his tiptoes. Then he scampered the rest of the way in an odd skipping-hopping motion. Darjon held the mouth of the pouch open. He crouched and leaped into the air, landing perfectly, and disappearing into the pouch. The Giant closed the flap on the pouch. "We hope you will visit Cyneraayt when the summit is over," he said to us. "Our king is anxious to meet you." "We'd love to come," I said. I wasn't lying. I was curious about all the territories. "We'll look forward to it," he replied. "Before we go, our king sent us with some gifts to pass on. He is familiar with the prophecy but Loopkar refreshed his memory. He finally coughed up his gifts." He turned and walked to the corner of the room. A sack lay there that had gone unnoticed until now. He picked it up and returned to the table. He removed a red cloth bag and sat it down. He opened the drawstring at the top and carefully spread it open. Sitting there was a red, transparent rock about the twice the size of a normal egg. "What is it?" Scully asked. "It is a Fire Rock. The warmth of your hands will light it up. If you find yourself underground with the Dwarves, in a cave, anywhere without a light source, just cup it in your hands for several moments and it will light up." "Wow. Does it get used up?" He shook his head. "No, unless you drop it and break it, it should last forever." He pushed it gently across the table and Scully picked it up reverently, cupping her hands around it. Within about five seconds, it began to glow. The light was muted red, but clearly bright enough to see by, were you to find yourself in blackness. "Thank you. It's beautiful." He smiled and reached into the sack again. He emerged with a set of gauntlets. They were some sort of silver metal, but red designs were swirled all over them, as if carved into the metal. He bent and handed them to me. I took one in each hand and looked up at him, waiting for an explanation. It came from Loopkar. "I made those. They are fire gauntlets and usually only given to the elite fire warriors. I had to craft them special so they would fit you." She grinned at that. "They're beautiful," I said. She added, "When you wear them, they will heat the blade of any weapon you draw." "How hot?" "Scalding hot," she said. "It will add damage to any blow you strike. It's elemental magic and the Drow are very sensitive to it. More importantly, Liches are very sensitive to it. It's not life magic, but it's the next best thing. I'd be honored if you would wear them." "I shall treasure them and wear them in every battle," I promised. She smiled, obviously pleased with my response. "One more thing," Darjon said. He pulled out a black silk pouch and handed it to Scully. He said, "We found that on one of the Drow necromancers that were killed at the Cinder Village. Loopkar had a vision and knew that others had given them to you. We thought we should give you this one as well. I don't know what you intend to do with them, but I offer a word of caution. Be very careful reading the dark arts." Scully nodded. "I will. Thank you." "Well, we'll be going now." We all said good-bye. More thanks were exchanged. With that, they bowed in a stately fashion and exited the hall. After a few moments of silence, Ashante sighed. "Now if we can just get the Barbarians to agree to come, we'll have a full house." Anzwen scowled. "They're going to be a tough sell, the toughest of all." Ashante looked at us until I was becoming uncomfortable with her scrutiny. Then she said, "Maybe. Then again, maybe not." THE END.