Celestial Refresh, Team 2

[Der_DWSage]

There are problems everywhere. Young, old, small, huge, problems exist in all kinds of forms.

For example, there's the problem of four young adventurers that have heard a young voice next to their ear that said, "I wish for adventurers capable of helping with our problem to aid us in our time of need."

This was followed by a violent yank to the side, and no matter where they were-whether they were walking down a crowded street, serenading a bar for their morning bread, or even in epic combat-they would find themselves waist-deep in a pool of water, staring at a large Copper dragon and a ten-year old human boy, the latter of which was simply stunned.

They would also find that they were stripped of everything they owned right down to their underwear, making the boy blush and turn away...and the dragon chuckle.

And the four would hear the Dragon speaking in a mocking tone, asking, "So, were you wanting heroes or a free peep show Timothy? Tsk, tsk...well, you can't have everything you want. I presume you all would like some clothing and an explanation...-probably- in that order?"

[Lord Typh]

Hoshi Winters had, himself, been just starting in the middle of a fight with a wolf. Somehow, he accidentally intruded on its territory, setting the beast off. HE had barely avoided the first attack, quickly moving to get out his crossbow. He didn't want to waste his spells so early on.

As he began to aim the crossbow, however, he heard a strange voice. It made him take more time to aim and that he did not have. THe wolf leaped at him then, causing him to try and shoot in a hurry. He fell backwards as he did so, the deadly nails about to slash at his body. Before bolt or claw could meet flesh, however, the boy was yanked away from the battle, finding himself landing in water.

SHocked and sputtering, the boy quickly got out, shaking his head wildly to keep the liquid from impairing his sight. As he opened his eyes, he saw the dragon and boy, sending waves of confusion throughout his brain. What was going on...? He couldn't make sense of what just happened. Slowly, he tried to piece things together.

The message he heard earlier... WAs that some sort of telepathy? IF it was, maybe it was also linked to the sudden change in scenery. He might have been teleported somewhere else. That was out of the way... But as for the dragon and boy... he'd have to guess that, since they didn't seem to be threatening them, that they were at least peaceful for the moment.

He just looked to the dragon, his brain processing what he siad. Giving a nod, he said, "Y-yes..." looking to the two. "Why... Why have you called us here? Is there something you need of us?" He wasn't going to say no to some new clothes... and possibly something to dry off with.

[SallyWhitemane]

Mellia looked out from her trail-side perch across the vast land before her, flute in hand, taking in the vast spectacle of the world before her. Behind her the rough and cragged crests of tall foothills rose up like looming giants of earth. A tiny glimmer of light and civilization shone from between their mighty shoulders, the light of her new hometown, and of her past. Before her, thick and verdant forests painted the landscape, running along blue lines of river-thread that lead up to the imposing and far-off border of majestic purple mountains.

It was a wondrous sight for her to behold, one which she had only gleaned through the confined windows of traveling carriages throughout her life, and one which caused her heart to flutter with joy. She raised her flute up to her lips as she took the first step forwards past the hills and into the world, eager to apply the proper notes to her new world. She could feel the finely crafted wood touching her lips as she breathed in and then...

"Pbththtptstpblurble*gulp*Blarp!*Gasp!*"

Water and darkness encompassed her like the grasp of death, sudden, shocking, and surprising in every sense of the world. Wildly she thrashed about and sputtered, trying as desperately as possible to see as her mouth filled with liquid as she desperately gasped for air, sending up plumes of spray which fell back down to sting her eyes once again.

Then, a voice, strong and different from any she had ever heard before. Her feet found what she thought was ground under her toes as her eyes started to adjust to the different lightning, allowing her to take stock of the world about her. She was submerged in water and before her was a massive dragon with a being she could not quite make out due to a second, male, being standing before her. And she was in her underwear. Dropping down low into the water in a attempt to bestow some modesty upon herself, she shook her head.

"This is a dream. I must have been overwhelmed and passed out." she said, the tone of her voice startled, yet confident in her assessment. "Yes, that's it. It is dark, wet, sudden, there is a strange being I've only seen in books before me, and I'm in my underwear. I'm dreaming for sure. I've gone and passed out and am dreaming now."

[Der_DWSage]

The dragon nodded, some of them not even responding yet-but the would find themselves dragged out of the water one by one via the reach of the dragon's long tail. And when it touched them, they would find that they were clothed in...well, it was really just cheap breeches and a tunic, but at least it was clothing, and it was dry. The ten year old looked a bit...incredulous at them, but he was keeping quiet for now.

"Well then. Since you're the ones that have been brought here by it, I suppose I may as well help you. You all can call me Your Grand Magnificence of the Shining Copper Scale, High Supreme Grand Poobah of All That Shimmers, Excellence Supreme in All Manners Regarding Wit...Kinsle. Yes, Kinsle works. I like to change names out every few decades, keeps the old ones from getting stale. And since it's -been- a few decades since last time I even talked to one of you humans, it's quite the time for a change!" The dragon chuckled, and likely would have continued in a similar vein if he didn't catch sight of the child.

He was ten years old, just like he looked. He was also bloody, bruised, beaten, and now that he had attention, there were tears forming on his face. He was silent aside from that, but his body language was speaking volumes. Fists were balled up, he was stiff, he wasn't looking at them anymore...and the dragon sighed as he relented. "Alright, so I'm a bit of a soft touch. I let the child use an interesting artrifact I'd stumbled upon some time ago. A wish-granting well, apparently a gift from Olidimarra. Quite the handy toy, but not without drawbacks. Anyway. This boy-Kevin, right? Not Klein?-is in something of a bind. It seems that his family...well, his entire village really, just up and walked away in the middle of the night. He's not sure how he didn't go with them, since they were obviously in a spell. Oh, a few more weren't so entranced, so he's not the only one, but...well, this is what he told me. It seems that some skeletons were involved in rounding up the ones that weren't entranced, and then he told me the name they were whispering in their enchantments. It seems that it was an old Necromancer-one that I was sure was dead." The dragon shrugged, looking over to the boy...who had visibly relaxed.

"Now. I -would- help the lad, go in breathing lightning and throwing spells left and right...but...well, frankly, I can't. I'm under a geas myself, you see. I'm charged with keeping this pool safe from misuse, so I can't even get away from it to make myself a decent hoard. Or hunt. I miss hunting on occasion. Oh, sorry. Distracting myself. Long story short, you kids are now under a geas as well. To help him get his family back. Do have fun with the necromancer, hm?"

The Dragon gave a big, lop-sided grin, showing off a few missing teeth and helping the boy calm down. Kevin simply nodded in response to the dragon's way of telling things.

[Ultrninja]

Fynnle was shocked when he had seen such a magnificent dragon, he had honestly never seen one so big since, well... never! Crossing his arms after being magically clothed, a few thought went through his head, some of which weren't the most pleseant things to think.

"So, Kinsle." Fynnle said, chosing his words carefully. "I hope intend on providing us with weapons and armor, unless you intend on us fighting this necromancer with naught but our bare hands." Though such an act wasn't reasonable, Fynnle knew that his training as a Lancer would provide an interesting benefit to him should he be required to engage in fisticuffs.

Taping his foot as if he were rather impatient, he wondered how the dragon would react if he knew about Fynnle's draconic abilities. "By the way, Kinsle, have you ever heard about warriors known as Lancers?" Smiling in a way to make it obvious to anyone who could read facial features that he was one of those warriors, he fell silent awaiting a reply.

[NeitherRhyme]

"...If you enjoyed the show, please consider a donation. Even a few copper pieces would be much appreciated." As the small crowd began to disperse, Amara took a deep bow taking the opportunity to glance into the bowl on the ground, and was pleasantly surprised. The silvers in the bowl were more than enough for a meal, enough for a few days food actually; a curious thing in such a small town. Though she paused for a moment to consider it, she concluded that she must have just had a particularly good day and moved on. Yet as she crouched down and reached for the bowl...

"I wish for adventurers capable of helping with our problem to aid us in our time of need."

She had not the time to utter even a single word before with a sudden jerk Amara was simply not where she had been before. Instead, she found herself crouching in a pool, head just above the water. Immediately, she hopped back - as much as the water would allow - and glanced around.

It only took a moment to determine that neither fight nor flight was a reasonable response to this situation. Even if she could take the other three in the pool, the dragon was awfully imposing. So preoccupied was she with figuring a way out of the situation that she didn't even notice that she was being pulled out until her feet were already on solid ground.

With no visible way out, Amara stood quietly and listened to the dragon. "A geas?" A few bad childhood memories surfaced, and suddenly Amara was much more eager to help. "So, Your Grand Magnificence of... Ummm... Kinsle, where should I begin?"

[Lord Typh]

The dragon pulling them out of the water, while startling, was very appreciated. Just as the clothes were as well. He wished he had some of his old clothes back but once more, oh well. He'd be okay with what he got. There was little point in complaining... Especially when the person who gave you these clothes could probably crunch your bones and swallow you whole.

Now the dragon engaged in a long winded introduction. He wasn't proclaiming his magnificence or anything... or maybe he was. Yes, most certainly was when one thought about one of the titles. Apparently, when one was a dragon, they didn't need to worry about sounding serious. And changing names so much seemed awkward to Hoshi... He liked his name. He'd like to keep it as much as possible.

And now things were being explained about JUST what they were called for. And looking to the boy, Hoshi immediately felt a pang of sorrow. He must have gone through something horrible to be so battered and bruised. Indeed he had been... Much of his village had apparently just... well, left. All taken by some strange magic. He felt for him, in a way. Robbed of everyone he cared about... Unable to see them agian because of circumstances behind his control. He knew something like that himself. After he and the village found out about his sorcerer powers, through a rather harsh way as well, he was forced out of his home. Everyone there had a phobia of magic users, considering them cursed and bringing misfortune. They didn't even have a cleric. Maybe it wasn't the same but to Hoshi, it was similar. He iddn't have any choice about things then.

And then the necromancer was brought up... That got him worried. What did he want the townmembers for? Was he going to use them for experiments...? Food for a massive army of undead? More zombie minions...? He didn't know. However, he did know what he wanted. To stop him. Not like they had a choice, with the Geas in effect. Giving a nod, he said, "Alright... I'll do it. I'm not sure if I'll be able to beat a necromancer, even with help... but I'll try."

[SallyWhitemane]

Mellia looked to the dragon, thankful that she was now covered in clothing, but still not yet convinced that what she was seeing was real and not some fevered dream. Around her the other people whom had seemingly been dragged to the dragons aid started to become more active, getting up and moving about, speaking, and the like.

Yet to slay a necromancer? She wished to be reunited with he lover, not to embark upon a tale of epic engagements! She knew she would need to find people to travel with for sure, being alone on the road was never a pleasant or wise thing, but to slay a necromancer?

"Excuse me, sir dragon, I have a question of which I must ask you. Though I do not wish to refuse, and indeed must accept seeing as you claim for us to be under a geas, I have problems of my own of which I was seeking a solution for. I am sure that I am not the only one here with such a issue seeing as we were all plucked up at random. However, one of the problems of which I was having is that I was to travel a long and unknown distance on my own, a task most fret with danger of which companions would be helpful. Do you expect us to travel in a group to complete this task?"

Then, she turned to the others. Though she was not yet convinced she was conscious, it was not impossible that she was. If she was, then their aid would be something of much appreciation. "Likewise, I ask the same of you. If this dragon tells the truth then we are all under a curse together. If this dragon lies, then our chances of escape are improved if we spend time not fighting each other but rather in fleeing for our lives and helping each other flee. I believe it would be smart for us to all work together for the time, to travel in a group as it were. What say you all?"

[Der_DWSage]

Kinsle's tail flicked behind him, rather like a cat's, as he listened to the various adventurers. He seemed more amused than anything, although his grin died whenever he happened to glance at the boy.

"Well then. A few details-the geas won't kill you if you decide to go off in another direction, though you -will- become quite deathly ill until you decide to resume helping the boy. On a related note, I do believe that if the boy dies, the geas will be inflicted upon you as well-for that, I would like to suggest he stay here with me."

The lad -almost- looked like he wanted to argue that one, but he relented when his gaze met the dragon's, sitting down instead.

"Now. First off, yes, I'm well aware of Lancers. I really don't have much to do down here all the time, so keeping abreast of interesting people is always entertaining. No need to posture around me, lad. Secondly, no, I don't expect you to be able to fight the necromancer with your bare hands. I...-do- have a few things in my possession that may be of assistance, but I would want them replaced immediately afterwards. I don't have much of a hoard, and much of what I do have is of sentimental value. But no. I expect that one well-worded wish would return all of your gear to you. There is a problem, of course..." The Dragon smirked at them, revealing some disturbingly sharp teeth.

"The pool has a mind of it's own, and a sense of humor that could only be born from an item created by the God of Trickery. It also likes to punish those that are, shall we say, naughty. The boy here had a wish that was truly pure of heart, if a bit poorly worded, and while it did nothing to him, it certainly was of embarassment to you. I can't tell you what'll happen if you try to get your gear. Or even try to improve upon it. It could be something small, such as a large amount of rust, or it could be something far more amusing, such as full plate being reduced to a metallic jockstrap that attaches itself to you instantly. I honestly couldn't tell you...but I will point out a restriction on the pool. It cannot directly harm a living being, and it can only be used once by any particular person. Does anyone wish to try their luck?"

The Dragon grinned at that, his long-winded words a bit lengthier than normal.

[SallyWhitemane]

Mellia looked at the dragon skeptically before looking at the water. If the dragon was right, then what would she wish for? That Harold be delivered to her? Such a wish would surely end her quest early, allowing her to achieve her goal... And then what? Be sick for the rest of her life due to this curse? No. There was something much better for her to wish for to lift this curse. Yet, as she looked at the pool, a second wish crossed her heart.

She looked to the boy, the thought of him being restored to health, reunited with his parents in happiness and joy, and the restoration of his village flitting across her heart. But even if this wish was within the wells power, it would likely find some way to screw it up, reunite him with his parents as zombies or something like that.

"I wish... for the items that I had on me to be returned to me in the state that they were in delivered right before this dragon here upon the stone floor without appearing inside or harming anyone and with the term 'had on me' referring to any item that I considered to be within my possession at the time one second before I was wished to this place and to be taken with me upon my quest."

[NeitherRhyme]

As Amara listened to the first wish, wheels started turning in her head. At first, she considered copying the first wish to the letter. It sounded solid enough, and having her things back would be nice. "I wish- Wait no."

So long as she had this opportunity, wasn't there something better she could do with it? Was she not brought to this place by its power? She might not be so skilled at talking like a lawyer as this other girl, but she didn't need to risk her things with a poor choice of words when there was such an obvious solution staring her in the face.

"From the sound of it, the necromancer is the biggest obstacle in our path. And did you not say you would gladly solve the problem yourself if you could?" Amara paused for a moment. Nothing is ever so simple. There was surely something, something she wasn't considering that assured that this would end in tears. But a moment's contemplation didn't bring it to mind, so she shrugged and continued.

"Then I wish that the person responsible for the disappearance of Kevin's family was right here, right now."

[Rakaydos]

Vajir looked around the empty village- it had been a few days since he'd holed up in the basement of the butcher shop. He'd fled to this village after his squad was destroyed by the necromancer's minions- he himself was incredibly weak from the undeads' drain. but when more than half the population of the village wandered off into the night, Vajir knew it was time to find a hidy hole. The butcher's shop had the most redilly available provisions, and was abandoned after the disappearances, and so he hid.

There were signes of conflict- of people being rounded up and taken elsewhere, and the remaiing tracks seemed to be skeletal in nature- More undead. It seemed he'd managed to evade them for now, but who knew when-

"Then I wish that the person responsible for the disappearance of Kevin's family was right here, right now."

Vajil felt himself be pulled backward, and he splashed into a shallow pool. Looking around, he immediately spotted a dragon, a small pile of equipment, and a group of humanoids. A summoning spell of some kind, no doubt. He had his equipment on still, but he doubted he'd stand a chance against a dragon.

He glared at the humanoids, who were apparently unarmed. "Who brought me here? And who's Kevin?" he growled.

[Der_DWSage]

Mellia's equipment would appear in an unceremonial heap directly in front of her...though with one notable difference.

There was a rat in one boot. A big one, too. It hissed at her, as if daring her to remove it from its new home. Apparently, the pool had nothing against -adding- possessions, even unwelcome ones.

Vajir would have just enough time to make those declarations before he would find himself getting lifted out of the pool by the dragon's tail...and then sat on by him, rather calmly, pinning his arms and legs down with sheer bulk and just barely left enough room for his head to poke out while the dragon spoke.

"Well well well...what have we here? You're certainly not the Necromancer, but you must have -some- link to him if you were brought by the pool. Do speak, llittle puppy. Or I shift my weight enough to break every bone in your body. Twice over."

And through it all, the child just ducked behind Mellia, since she was the only one to have a weapon at the time.

[Rakaydos]

Vajir's thoughts raced. Necromancer? his thoughts raced to the attack on his squad, and the disapearing village after his arrival, and quickly, he put two and two together. The results were not pretty.

"A necromancer wiped out my squad and I fled into a village to hide- When people started vanishing, I hid. I assume Kevin's family lived in that village?" He looked around at the others. "And you people started throwing Wishes around to try and fix the issue? I'm suprised the dragon hasn't eaten anyone yet."

[Lord Typh]

Hoshi was already fairly certyian that the wish to get the necromancer over here would either fail horribly or backfire. If the dragon could do such a thing, why wouldn't he have done it already? As for the wish itself, Hoshi didn't make one. If he had to, he could borrow a few things from the dragon's hoard. If he was lucky, he might find something out there to give to the dragon as well, in exchange for letting him use those things. "I... don't think I'll make a wish." the sorcerer said.

Suddenly, someone just appeared, apparently out of nowhere. The necromaner? No... He didn't look like such a person. The dragon was able to pin him easilly too. So, at least they didn't have to fight him now... However, that meant that they couldn't solve things right now too. Everything had a downside. Now the new person was trying to get answers, scolding them for basically trying to use wishes to solve the problem. He also asked why the dragon couldnt' leave. "He's under a Geas..." Hoshi replied, nervous. "HE can't leave the area..."

[SallyWhitemane]

Mellia placed her hand on Kevin's shoulder, trying to reassure him. Her sword lay in the water, but she was no fool. Any specialty she held was not in melee combat. To pick it up, to be come a threat to the necromancer, was fooli-... He wasn't the necromancer?

Mellia gulped nervously as the man explained himself somewhat. Though the man seemed to be noble and not evil, what was more disturbing was the wish that had been made.

"To make a wish for the man to appear here is foolish. If this necromancer is truly powerful, he may be warded against wishes, or at least those of a magnitude that can be granted by this pool. Do not waste your wishes, or rather, do not run the risk of such a broad and easily interpreted wish as the one just made. What if it had been granted? We would be stuck with a powerful enemy willing to kill us when most of us were in our underwear less than five minutes ago."

[NeitherRhyme]

Little-Miss-Caveat thought herself so great because she could pad her sentences with terms and conditions. But she had a rat in her things, and Amara... Had entirely failed to achieve anything worthwhile, and still her things were lost to her.

So perhaps there was a little wisdom in the admonishment. Of course, there was no chance Amara would admit that to a stranger who had just called her a fool. "And if the necromancer had shown up here? If they are so powerful that catching them by surprise with a dragon at our backs we could not win, then we certainly stand no chance waltzing into their home with only a vague sense of what we're up against. I do wish I knew more about the whole situation; maybe I could have been less vague, but it wasn't nearly so bad as you make it out to be..." She glanced at the figure pinned under Kinsle, "...Especially since we seem to have picked up someone who I imagine would have a particular interest in seeing this particular Necromancer defeated."

[Rakaydos]

Vajir snorted, still pinned beneath the great dragon. "My empress is vanished, my unit destroyed. My family was lost to me long ago. I have no path to follow now except survival." He glared up at Amara. "Why should I join your quest?"

[SallyWhitemane]

"Because there are only so many possible courses of action that you may take, kind sir. You may join us, head out on your own, or sit under the paw of the dragon and mope." said Mellia, picking up the shoe with the rat in it. She was being very careful to keep her hand away from the mouth of the boot so that the animal could not nip at her hand. "It is true that striking out with us is no guarantee of success, but if you head out on your own, you will be alone as you seek to recover your queen and find those whom destroyed your unit." she looked inside the boot, trying to see if the rat was still there. "While your goal may not be upon the route we follow, you will be able to find more information than would have been accessible to you on your own for sure. And on the off-chance we find out where your queen is or where those whom slew your unit are, you will have a better chance of success with several people at your back instead of just you."

Mellia suddenly turned the boot upside down and thrust it into the pool, trying her best to force it underwater to drown the rat inside. "Or you can stay here, don a maids cap, and mope about." she pushed the boot farther down under the water. "I think you would look quite cute in a maids uniform personally. You can even use your wish to get one in your size! Wouldn't you like a maid Mr. Dragon and Kevin?"

[Rakaydos]

The sergal warrior snorted. "Oh, believe me, if we find signs of my Empress's presence, the best course is to flee immidiately. If I do end up in your happy band, allow me to regale you with the tale of Empress-General Rain's rein."

[SallyWhitemane]

"You won't be able to tell such tales if you strike out on your own, Mr. Soldier sir." she lifted the boot out of the water before offering it to him. "Excuse me, but I can't seem to get this rat out of my boot. I would be highly appreciative if you could get him out, preferably without hurting him if its in your capabilities."

[Rakaydos]

Crawling out from under the dragon, the sergal looked at the boot, and heald out his hand for it... then dropped it in the pool. Stepping lightly on the toe with his armored foot, he heald it under, the rat would have to come out eventually for air...

[Der_DWSage]

The Dragon shifted his weight so that the canine could crawl out from underneath him, then shook his head. This was so...so strange. Still, he could find worse help, and it wasn't as if they had much choice right now.

As it was, he had to admit to some annoyance. "Hrm. I didn't think that the pool would go -that- far. I think I see what happened here-it summoned you because you were responsible for his parents being taken...by not preventing it in the first place. You do not have a geas on you like the others, but still. If your original purpose was to slay the Necromancer, you could do worse than a team like this one." Three goats and a pig, perhaps. But such thoughts were hardly conducive to getting them on their way.

The child looked up at Mellia, asking, "Ma'am? Um, not to rush you heroes or anything, but...mommy and daddy are kinda getting further away with every moment."

[SallyWhitemane]

Mellia looked down at the small child sympathetically before she keeled down to his height, ignoring the water. "I know. We all have people whom we love and care for that are far away from us that we want back, I am sure of it." she placed her hand on his shoulder. "Trust me." She then gave him a hug before she stood up.

"Alright! People, let us get our act together! We've been called here to help someone and are now bound by that wish! We do not have a leader, we do not have a plan, and until a few moments ago, we did not even know each other. But we have a goal! Rescue the family of this child and then free ourselves of this curse! Let us stop lounging about on our rears and standing in a puddle of water in a dragons cave and let us actually get our feet under ourselves and stride towards this goal! Let us get going!"

[Lord Typh]

HOshi, having remained silent most of hte time, watched the events unfold. It seemed that the new person was brought here on accident. WHat happened wasn't entirely his fault either... It was merely a twisting of words. But with everything settled, they'd be leaving shortly. THe new person was most likely going ot join them on their quest to stop this Necromancer. THey'd need all the help they could get. But Hoshi did need something...

Looking up to the dragon, he asked, "Before I leave... would I be able to borrow something to defend myself with...? I'm a Sorcerer but I'm not really that good at my abilities yet..." Hopefully, the dragon wouldn't deny his request. He wasn't sure about using the wishing pool for this since it might backfire... and he wasn't sure he could word it properly anyway so it was best not to risk it.

[NeitherRhyme]

"You're right. Can't just sit around wasting time with such a huge problem on our hands. Let's go." It wasn't until she started looking around for a door that Amara realized the first of two problems, and not until Hoshi spoke up that she recognized the second. Not the slightest idea where to go, and she still didn't have her things. "But first; if he isn't going to use it, is there any way I can have his wish? I'd really like to have my things back, and I'm sure I can make less of a mess of it given another chance."