by Des Pensable
‘Settle down a bit Miranda. I can’t do stuff like that and if I could, I wouldn’t because it would be certain to upset someone powerful and I’ve got enough of them after me already. I was going to suggest we join together to fight it.’
‘What do you mean, together?’ said Miranda suspiciously. ‘Do you want get into my body again?’
‘No. My love, not in it, on it!’ said Aquitain.
‘I knew it, you’re planning something weird.’ she said but she did look rather more excited.
‘Weird, yes but very effective; I’ve already tried and tested this. Take off all your armour and clothes except for the necklace, your rings and earring. I will change the mind clay to be your armour, your blade and your mind’s shield. Yllandril can support us with her magic. Together we’ll be unstoppable.’
Miranda wasn’t really convinced but she was prepared to trust Aquitain enough to at least see what he was going to do. She removed all her gear and held Aquitain in her right hand above her head as he had instructed. The mind clay necklace turned into a golden snake and slithered up her arm to Aquitain where it formed a golden scimitar blade with him as the hilt. The metal then turned to liquid and ran down her arm then flowed all over her body until she was totally covered from the top of her head to the bottom of her feet. An eye formed in the middle of her forehead and she felt a strange feeling of calm.
‘Ok. It feels impressive but what have you done.’ she said.
‘I’ve melded gold coloured metallic snakeskin infused with my spirit with your skin. It is now the ultimate flexible armour. It should also allow you to shape change if you need to. The sword is made mainly of my spirit strengthened with mind clay and you have my Warden aura protecting you.’
She held out her shiny golden hand to examine her skin and noticed in the reflection of her face showed an extra eye.
‘I’ve grown another eye.’ she said. ‘You never said anything about that.’
‘OK. Sorry. You’ve also got another eye in your forehead. That’s for me to see out of. Remember, I’m the handle of the sword. I can’t see very well when I’m in your hand.’
‘I guess that’s okay. You haven’t added anything else have you?’
‘Well yes, I gave you an extra nipple and a short tail.’ said Aquitain.
‘What!’ Where are they?’ she said in a panic looking down at her chest and feeling behind her. ‘I can’t see or feel them.’
‘That’s strange. I was sure I included them, maybe I accidentally made them invisible.’ said Aquitain.
‘Okay, okay. You’re very funny.’ said Miranda suddenly realizing that he was joking. ‘Now how am I going to see in the dark?’
Aquitain asked Yllandril to cast a light spell on Miranda and she lit up the whole room like a golden goddess.
‘Anything else you need?’ said Aquitain.
‘No, I think I have everything.’ she said as she picked up Yllandril and placed her on her shoulder. Aquitain modified the armour around Yllandril to grip her legs so that she wouldn’t slide off and off they went to face the creature.
This time as she stepped into the tunnel Aquitain could feel Miranda’s heart rate increase substantially. He increased the brightness of the light coming off her armour so that they could see twenty paces ahead. She walked a hundred paces and the creature became visible. It didn’t seem worried about the light and slowly floated towards her.
It looked like a cloud of black mist, but random parts of it seemed to turn liquid or solid. As it approached it took on the vague form of a Newman. An arm or leg or some other body part would suddenly coalesce becoming solid for a second or two only to dissipate again.
Miranda stood still watching it approach, her heart slowed down to a more normal rate now that she could see it clearly. She showed no fear. The reason why was that Aquitain’s spirit was spread through the gold metallic mind clay armour. He had created a pure heart, which completely enclosed her allowing her to have the same protection as him.
Aquitain created an invisible semicircular shield of hardened air in front of her and they waited. He adjusted the vision of his new eye in Miranda’s forehead eye to be able see spirit auras and examined it closely. It was a construct but he had never seen anything remotely like it.
‘What are you?’ asked Aquitain using mindspeak first in common and then using Draconic and finally mind tokens but he got no response, which wasn’t really surprising.
It stopped about ten paces from them and a long, slim, dark liquid-looking pseudopodium shot forward towards Miranda’s head but was stopped by the air shield. Almost immediately, a cone of freezing cold mist was directed at them but had it no effect as the shield directed it around them. It did however reveal the presence and shape of the air shield.
‘I don’t think it wants to be friendly.’ said Yllandril and fired off some magic missiles at it, which had no effect.
‘It’s a construct, it’s magic resistant like us.’ said Aquitain.
The creature did nothing for several seconds, obviously trying to decide the best approach. Miranda decided not to wait, she smoothly side-stepped the air shield and leapt forward attacking it with Aquitain’s spirit blade. She drove the blade into the centre of the black misty cloud. The blade met no resistance as if nothing was there, then eight rubbery arms formed out of the mist each ending in a spike and these lengthened stabbing towards her like a series of daggers. She leapt backwards, somehow avoiding the spikes, felt for the air shield and slid behind it.
The creature advanced poking and jabbing with the spiked arms until it reached the air shield. This obviously confused it. It then began extending the arms around the shield. Miranda chopped down right through the first arm that approached her and it fell to the ground turned to a small cloud of black mist and quickly dissipated. The sight of the way the solid material turned into puffs of mist brought back memories of the fight in the dream world. This creature was made out of dream stuff.
Aquitain quickly created a large sphere of hardened air around it, then progressively hardened the air on the inside of the sphere squeezing it into a smaller and smaller ball of black mist, until it was a sphere a bit bigger than a dinner plate.
‘What are you doing?’ asked Yllandril. ‘Are you going to squeeze it to death?’
‘No. I don’t think I can squeeze it enough for that. I’m more interested in how they made such a strange body.’ said Aquitain.
‘It’s really fascinating.’
‘You’re joking! You want to play with it?’ said Miranda.
‘Yes. You forget. I used to build things like this. Whoever designed it did a good job. I’d like to know how they did it. Constructs are not really that dangerous if you know their limitations.’
‘Aquitain, we’re here to find Bellen!’ said Miranda.
‘Yes, I know that my love, but I need to know how this one works in case we run into another one.’ said Aquitain.
‘Well how long do you need?’ asked Miranda.
‘Only a few minutes, I think. Can you walk a bit closer to it.’ she did and then he said.
‘Look, I need the mind clay for a bit, you don’t mind if I strip off your armour do you.’ and suddenly the spirit blade disappeared and the gold metal armour all ran down her body forming a pool around her feet which turning into a ball. The ball levitated off the ground and hovered over the creature then turned to liquid metal and reformed itself as a spherical container around the creature.
‘I’ve got it now!’ said Aquitain. ‘It won’t get out of this container.’
Suddenly, the container fell to the ground and rolled a little before stopping.
‘I thought you had it before.’ said Miranda a little perplexed.
‘No. It thought I had it. If it had been a bit smarter, it would have worked out how to get out. Now it can’t. At least I don’t think it can.’ said Aquitain.
‘Quick put me down Miranda.’ said Aquitain so she dropped him on the ground and he ran over to th
e metal sphere.
‘Aquitain, I’m standing here totally naked and defenceless. What if something else comes along.’ said Miranda.
‘Well don’t just stand there go and get your scimitar. It’s only about fifty paces away, can’t you see it’s glow on the ground. Yllandril will watch out for you.’
‘Aquitain, you’re my champion and defender, can’t you use your mental powers to pick it up and bring it here.’ shouted Miranda.
‘That would be a waste of power Miranda, I’ve always been against wasting magic needlessly. We might need it later. Now can you please just let me concentrate on this construct for a couple of minutes?’
Miranda stormed off to get the scimitar.
‘Bloody wizards, they’re all the same. They find some new magic toy and they forget all about you. Mother I’m sorry, you were right, they’re hopeless.’
‘You’re right about that!’ said Yllandril, ‘I had the same problem with Llalorax.’
Aquitain ignored them and placed his hand on the mind clay sphere to stabilize it. It was now under his total control. He carefully erased his binding to the crystal body then passed through the sphere into the body of the construct, surrounded its small piece of spirit and shepherded it into the green crystal figurine. Once out of its body container the small piece of spirit lost its previous directives. Aquitain gave it new directives to look after his crystal body and watch and alert him of the presence of anybody new.
He then connected his spirit to the new body and told the mind clay container to release him. It turned to liquid, formed a puddle on the ground then reformed as a ball of clay. He was suddenly free. He felt a little lightheaded and couldn’t see anything. He had a good sense of smell and good hearing. He formed two eyes and looked through them just in time to see Miranda racing back swinging her scimitar at him.
Fortunately, it simply passed through him. He was just a cloud of mist with two eyes seemingly suspended in the middle.
‘What do you think you’re doing?’ he said.
’Are you trying to kill me, just because I told you to pick up your scimitar by yourself?’
Miranda stopped, her expression changed, she looked for a few seconds and said.
‘Aquitain, you haven’t changed bodies again have you?’
‘Yes my lovely. Just for you.’ said Aquitain.
‘For me!’ she yelled, ‘before you were a bloody miniature statue and now you’re a cloud of gas. How in the Lady’s name has that improved our situation?’
‘Miranda, don’t let the situation get to you. I know you’re very smart but can you please think before your react. I’ve been in your body; I know how it gets so excited. You have to trust me. Now think, what would you like me to be?’
‘A bloody Newman of course or if you can’t manage that maybe a bear.’
Aquitain solidified into a young Newman male body. Miranda was shocked for a moment.
‘You mean this body will allow you to change to a Newman?’
‘As long as I concentrate.’ said Aquitain.
She raced forward and embraced and kissed him passionately. He exploded into a cloud of mist.
‘I’m sorry, Miranda. Your passion swept me away. I couldn’t keep concentrating.’ he said.
‘It’s the nature of this body. It will only stay solid while I concentrate on it staying solid. If anything breaks my concentration then poof I’m a cloud of mist again.’
‘Aquitain. I can’t believe this is happening. You’re saying that you can finally be a Newman again, but if I get you excited you’ll explode.’
‘Yes my sweet. We can probably hold hands, but anything else is out at the moment. I will, of course, work on my concentration technique.’
Miranda threw her scimitar to the ground.
‘I don’t believe this. I just don’t believe it. All I’ve ever wanted is some nice guy to love and I get you. Why can’t you be normal like everyone else at least for a while?’
She dropped to her knees.
‘Lady why are you tormenting me this way? I’ve always been your faithful servant. Can you please help him to be normal?’
Aquitain changed back to his young male Newman form again and with tears running down his cheeks he said.
‘I love you Miranda. I’m sorry. One day I’ll be able to make a new body for myself and we’ll be able to cuddle and kiss and do all the things that normal people can do. I promise.’
She stood up and her heart melted. She cuddled into him.
‘I’m sorry my love. It must be just as hard for you as it is for me. We’ll get through this and by the Lady when we do, we’ll make up for all the lost time.’
They stood there for a few minutes just content to hold each other, until he suddenly popped into a mist cloud again.
‘We better get going.’ he said.
Miranda picked up the green figurine and Yllandril and then joined by Aquitain in his Newman form walked the full length of the tunnel where there was another open gateway without turning into mist.
Aquitain queried the gate and found that it went to Moonmist as they had expected. Miranda wanted to pass through the gate to find out where on Moonmist it went but Aquitain felt it was more important to find Bellen. From what Bellen had said there was a secret doorway in the tunnel leading to the lair of the sentient book and it was this that they had to find.
Aquitain closed and sealed the gateway portal to ensure no other surprises came through and they returned to the gate at the palace end where they had entered and passed through. They decided that Miranda should wear her armour again as it would be too difficult for Aquitain to hold the mind clay armour together if they were attacked. After donning her armour they once more set out to find the secret way into the sentient book’s lair.
This time, Aquitain turned himself into a Logicon slime form. He felt he could use his Logicon taste ability to track Bellen. It seemed to work. He followed the Trixie’s scent about a third the way along the tunnel then it disappeared. He popped back to his mist cloud form to think about the next step.
‘There’s got to be a loose tile or something similar here somewhere and it has to be low enough for Bellen to touch.’
He turned into a cloud of eyes and floated close to the wall checking every tile for five paces on either side of where Bellen’s scent had disappeared, but with no luck. He returned to his cloud shape for more thinking.
He asked Miranda to press her thumb against one of the tiles then adjusted the colour of the light given off by her scimitar through a whole spectrum of colours until he found a deep purple that allowed him to see the tile marked by the sweat on her thumb then he searched the walls again but with no success.
‘Maybe he used the wand.’ said Miranda.
‘Perhaps you’re right. I would have expected a mechanical device as all these tiles will resist magic, but it’s possible the wand could have some type of power built in that would open a door.’
Aquitain thought for a couple more minutes on how he would do it then returned to his Newman male form and said.
‘I think I know what they’ve done. Give me the dispel magic wand and wait here.’ and he went back to the gateway at the palace end and cast a dispel magic at the black tiles holding the gate runes. Nothing happened at the gateway as he expected, because gates are much too powerful to dispel, but Miranda yelled excitedly.
‘Aquitain whatever you did worked. A circle of runes just appeared on the ground near me.’
Aquitain came running back smiling.
‘This is the ultimate in secret entrances, a displaced teleport ring and on top of magic resistant tiles as well. These guys went to a lot of trouble to keep us out of where we’re going. Are you ready my lovely; it’s time to fight.’
Chapter 28 Twice the Confusion
They held hands and stepped onto the teleport circle and appeared in a totally dark room. Aquitain immediately used the dispel magic wand to eliminate the magic darkness and the light from Miranda’s s
cimitar lit up the area. They were in one half of a hexagonal shaped room about eight paces in width, which was divided across the centre by a black wall. To the left and right of them and facing them were two brass constructs.
‘Well, well what have we here?’ said a mindspeak voice in their minds. The mind wizard, Aquitain, his little spider friend Yllandril and a Zenostruct. Since Zenostructs are very rare and quite difficult to make you have probably found a way to capture the one in pathway three. I salute you, that was no mean feat. You also managed to find your way here, another excellent bit of work. The question that interests us both is whether you can survive now that you’re here.’
Instantly there was a loud piercing sound that made it difficult to think let alone concentrate and the two brass constructs began moving towards them. Aquitain popped into his misty form and yelled to Miranda.
‘Sing loudly.’
Miranda broke into a beautiful prayer to the Lady to bless them and Aquitain concentrated on her words to block out the other hideous sound and created a sphere of silence around them. That would allow him to concentrate but unfortunately also block any prayers, which Miranda might want to use. The second priority was to neutralize the two brass constructs. He looked closely at the one to his left and saw a coloured spot on it. He had put that there, when he was here a couple of weeks ago.
He quickly used a mnemonic to remember the hidden names of these two constructs and remembered that he only knew one of them.
‘Stop.’ he shouted using mindspeak together with the special name. The one on the right with the blue dot stopped just as Miranda was about to attack it with her scimitar. The one on the left with the red dot swung at him but its fist passed right through him.
He quickly told Miranda and Yllandril through their mindlink that the one on their side with the blue dot had changed sides and ordered it to subdue the red dotted one and it dutifully stepped forward and began to wrestle with the uncontrolled one. He then floated over to the black dividing wall, solidified a fist out of his misty body and struck the wall. It was a wall of force as he guessed.
