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Story 34                                 The Spirit-Wraith                          Told By Taniwha

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ This is one of the traditional tales told as a warning to young Drow. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~ Zankfyn Dvareen moved quietly through the tunnels of the Underdark. He moved ~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~ with ease, for he was at home in these tunnels and as a skilled drow warrior ~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~ he excelled in the art of moving undetected through the perils of these ~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~ tunnels. Entering a tunnel crossing he stopped and listened. For a long time ~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~ he heard nothing, not even the beating of his own heart. Then it came to ~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~ him, through tons of rock, an echo, rebounding off the cavern walls. It was ~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~ extremely faint, but it was definitely: The sound of battle. Pausing for ~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~ only a second more, Zankfyn selected one of the tunnels and quickly, but ~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ still extremely quietly, he made his way towards the sound. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~ He could feel it now, the tingling feeling in his mind. Someone was using ~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~ psionic powers. The order he was given burned clearly in his mind. 'Seek, ~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ destroy and retrieve!' ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~ The mind-flayers were pleased. The deep gnome mining party had been easily ~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ captured, and with their skill in stonework, they would make excellent ~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~ slaves. Chatting telepathically, they discussed the price they would put on ~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~ one of the deep gnomes, an especially strong specimen. They would enter him ~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~ into the gladiator games and make a fortune on betting. He was now standing ~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~ idly, a blank look on his face, his mind wiped blank from the mindflayers ~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~ mental attacks. They had already seen his fighting skill though, one of the ~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~ mindflayers was laying limply on the stone floor, his skull smashed from the ~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~ deep gnomes powerful blow. The mindflayers didn't mourn him. They had all ~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~ known the risk they were taking, and besides, it would be one less to split ~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ the profit with. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ They didn't notice the drow until he was amongst them. The telepathic ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ question flashed through their minds. What did he want? Who was he? It ~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ didn't matter. He was a powerful warrior, they could see that from his ~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~ weapons and he would make an even better gladiator than the deep gnome. The ~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~ five mindflayers arrayed themselves to attack the drow simultaneously. Five ~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~ cones of mental energy blasted the drow. The attack would have stunned the ~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ most intelligent wizard or the angriest giant. The drow didn't seem to ~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~ notice though. He simply waded through the cones of mental energy and by now ~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~ his scimitairs had appeared from their sheaths. The telepatical message went ~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~ out. How could the drow survive their assault? Two of the mind flayers never ~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~ got to hear the answer. A scimitar penetrated their soft skulls. Their dead ~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~ bodies fell silently to the ground. The three remaining flayers were better ~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~ prepared though. They managed to bearhug the drow and their pale tentacles ~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~ were already moving towards the drows brain to feed. The drow would be dead ~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~ in a second. Strangely he didn't seem to notice. Scimitars flashing, Zankfyn ~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~ cut the tentacles clean off with a sweep. The next second, two of them were ~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~ dead. The last mind flayer tried to beg for his life, sending a telepathical ~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~ plead for mercy to the drow. The message was never received. Zankfyn had ~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ only one thing in mind. Besides, the scimitars were already in motion. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Back in Banefall, Matron Mother Dvareen screamed in ecstasy. The spirit ~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~ wraith had found its target and was already searching the corpses and would ~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~ soon have found the artifact. When it did so, the mission she had got from ~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ the Spider Goddess would have been completed, and her favour would be ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~ regained. She had sacrificed Zankfyn, the best weapons master House Dvareen ~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ had ever had to Cyrcia in an attempt to regain her favour and had been ~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~ heard. A handmaiden of Cyrcia had appeared and commanded her to gather her ~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~ daughters, all high priestesses of Cyrcia like herself and prepare for a ~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~ very rare ceremony. The making of a spirit wraith, the animation of Zankfyns ~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~ body, with all his skill intact, but completely under the Matron mothers ~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~ telepathically control, and with a special power, a gift from Cyrcia.  House ~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~ Dvareen had been given a mission, to find and retrieve a magical artifact ~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~ that held powers extremely important for the drow. The message came to her ~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~ from Zankfyn out in the tunnels: 'Mission complet...'. The Matron mother ~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~ screamed and fell to the floor. The link to the spirit wraith had been cut. ~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~ Someone or something had ended her control of her former weapons master. She ~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~ had failed the mission given to her by the Spider Goddess. What doom that ~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ awaited her for her failure? She didn't know. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~ Far from Banefall, Zankfyn stopped abruptly. He had found the artifact and ~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~ was sending a telepathical message to his ruler when the magical energy of ~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~ the artifact had cut the link. There was no will that controlled him now, ~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~ and the ceremony that had given his body life, had only given him back the ~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~ part of his mind that contained his warrior skills. He had no conscious ~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~ thought and no will of his own. Zankfyn stood still for a moment. Then the ~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~ words of his last command came back to him. 'Seek, destroy and retrieve!'. ~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~ Retrieve what? Zankfyn didn't know, but he quickly selected another tunnel ~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ and set out into the darkness. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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