Death Hunters 05: Hunt for the No Ma

   They have been zig-zagging from town to town for days looking for sorcerers, especially alchemists, botany specialists, and herb mages, asking around for anyone who might have No-ma. While Rhulan does possess the ancient spell of Reversion, it’s designed to return an object from an un-natural transformation back to its form prior to being changed. Hollia’s transformation is perfectly natural, albeit she has no clue how to change back. Her eyes and nails had gone back on their own, but the ears remain transformed. Cata is no help in this, she can’t change shape, never could. According to her as she told them that day after they rested from their adventure in the Ghost Mansion, amongst the Kuhrai shape shifting is only done by a few sub-species namely the So-Kuhrai, the Rohah-Kuhrai, some of the Korai-Kuhrai, and some of the Ko-Kuhrai, but Cata has none of them in her ancestry, Hollia however apparently does; although the story regarding this often repeated in history classes simply says that her great-grandfather Stratos the Sky Warrior married a Kuhrai priestess of the Aria family; albeit the years involved in this from Betty’s perspective in what she normally hears from humans makes her think this should have been an older ancestor.

 From what Hollia can tell her Great-Great-Grandfather had also done the same from what she has heard. Unfortunately her grand-father doesn’t talk about it. And thinking back she realizes this might have had something to do with two very important things, one why her grand-father would make her forget the technique, she imagines her father and him must have had an argument over it; and two why Stratalia is known to be the largest container of No-Ma in the world outside of the Xiang Empire.

   Amongst these travels they have heard from some adventurers they passed on the road that there is a sorcerer a little further north in a tower who keeps a garden of No-ma, apparently according to the stories in the towns and from that same adventurer party he uses it to make a potion bomb for people to use on Lycanthropes while traveling through the mountains, forcing the biped wolf like monsters back into their weaker, albeit no less savage, human forms.

  The walk through the every darkening forest; a constant reminder that by foot this sorcerer’s base is considerably further from the nearest town than they had been lead to believe. A fact meaning they should have left earlier in the day, rather than well past noon. At this point it is far too late to go back, meaning either hopefully they reach the sorcerer’s home before nightfall and will let them stay over night, or they will have to camp out. The former would be preferable to the later given the environment and the fact they have grown accustomed these last few weeks sleeping in inns which has been a great surprise to Rhulan. In her time this entire area had been a nature preserve, and off limits to town buildings, the caves home to the dangerous tunnel worms which lure in victims with bioluminescent lures and then devour them, however she has since learned that the giant older ones are now extremely rare due to hunting leaving only the average little ones. The forests around here are home to both forest wolves and the giant sized mountain wolves along with were-cats, lycanthropes, demon rattle snakes, dagger head snakes, steel claw bears, dragons, and many other predators which would require them to put up wards and go through watches.

   However there is one thing rather odd a little red blinking light has started to become apparent as it grows darker, visible just above the tree line in the distance.

  “An air-traffic safety beacon?” asks Betty

  “It…does look like one,” says Hollia remembering the ones atop the buildings of Stratalia for when the air-ships arrive from over seas. Although thinking about this she has noticed that none have been seen flying over head, even though plenty should be coming and going from Stratalia this time of year meaning that they must despite being able to fly go around and follow the same route as the ocean bound ships, she had heard before about this, something to do with the entire region south of the Great Lakes and east of the Archae Sea being a neutral zone, and thus a no fly zone for foreign vehicles. Which all does add to the mystery of their being one here.

  As they come to the top of hill on their path they see the source of the beacon, it rests atop a very strange tower. A red building with a circle base, then a smooth edged ring, then a slightly smaller circle wall with some window, and another ring, and so forth until the top which has a cone tip upon which the light blinks on and off from.

  “A wizard’s tower,” says Rhulan, “to think someone would go through all the trouble to build one in this old style, this was old when I was…well…at the end of…you know…no need for more sob story my bad past right now, we have ourselves a hermit with a thing I’m guessing for very old things with No-Ma to deal with, and I imagine he isn’t going to part with some just because we ask pretty please.”

  Hollia nods as they continue on towards the tower, their approach however is not going unseen, for with in the tower in one of its upper rooms a wrinkled hand from a thick red sleeve from a wool robe waves over a caldron revealing in the water a bird’s eye view of the approaching party.

  “More visitors?” says the old man with his raspy voice, “Well, well, well, now I wander what these young ladies could want with me?”

   As they approach the great rod-iron gate of what is really just half a wall, a short view in either direction of the woods reveals that the wall stops a short distance either way, opens it self.

  “Automatic door?” asks Betty.

  “No,” says Rhulan looking up, surprising the man watching through his caldron as though she were looking directly at him, “we are being watched.”

   “My quests,” says a raspy voice from the air, “I am the great wise wizard Ole-Tomash, those who seek an audience with me for any reason must first pass seven trials, each from each level of my tower, for I reside at the top; and no flying all the way up from the outside will gain you nothing but my disdain. What ever you seek, for what ever extra price save for sage advice will not be granted to those who think life should be all about short cuts.”

  “Of course,” says Rhulan, “why not, what do you all say?”

  Hollia nods, Lin Lin nods, Cata nods, and Betty nods, after all this is for the No-ma, this is to help Hollia so she doesn’t have to get the same looks Cata does, something more from Cata’s view of the situation than anyone else’s. If one could read their minds Betty would find Hollia’s ears hardly a problem, Lin Lin doesn’t care, and Rhulan thinks their kind of cute. However Hollia is clearly is upset with being stuck with them, perhaps it seems from what she has said over the past few days not so much for being cat ears, but more so for a concern for what her grandfather might think, and the feeling of un-ease and loss of control over a transformation that was born from her loosing control of her emotions, like a scar of this lack of discipline showing its self to the rest of the world, even though no one except her traveling companions would know the reason she has them; but perhaps this is enough for her to remain so self conscious about them; what ever the reason, the No-ma, a simple grayish brown leafy grass would seem to be the answer.

   *Trial One*

   The wide double doors open to reveal a dark room, the only light coming from a crystal light on the far wall above a door, the wall’s protrusion giving away they the stairs to the floor above are beyond that door. The floor is far blacker than it should be. Hollia leans down, her hand passing below floor level into blackness, as though her hand has passed through a veil of some sort.

  “Dimension loop,” says Rhulan, “it’s an old trick to make intruders think the floor is nothing but a bottomless hole, where it comes out could be anywhere and…”

  She leans down next to Hollia and puts her own hand into the blackness, “It goes about three hundred feet outside the front gate.”

  “My guests,” comes the raspy voice of Ole-Tomash, “Your first task is the bottomless pit, oh yes…and…did that sorceress just already ascertain the nature of my first trap? Well…no matter you still need to cross the room, and you will find that levitation and wingless flight spells will not work in my tower, oh yesss, I am that cool.”

  “Okaaay,” says Betty, “so like what’s going on.”

  “Tests of skill and knowledge,” says Rhulan with a shrug, “apparently either this guy is that egotistical that he only wants
people he considers worthy even ask him for something, or just reaching him is used as an event in these parts with a gift asked from him as the prize.”

  In the dark chamber at the back of the top floor Ole-Tomash in his face concealing red hood strokes his pointy white beard protruding from the shadow, “Hmmm,” he says to himself, “clever girl, but if they’re not here for the wizard tower trial medal…”

  *shrugs*

  “No matter, they’ll get it anyway, after all that last girl was the same way.”

   He watches in astonishment as the two sorceresses have already cast illumination spells and the smaller girl in white’s floating pet dragon is leading them along the invisible path zigzagging across the room the party members carefully following one behind the other.

  “Wait, wait, wait, wait,” comes the voice of Ole-Tomash over the intercom, “It’s very clear to me now, you are not here as part of the prism wizard medal trials. You’re confusion over my reason for the trials is testament to that. However we wizards of the Prism Medal trials have a deal, a method, regardless of your reason for wanting to see me I will still insist you pass the trials and for passing them you will get the medal, you can show it off, maybe go on and try the other towers, and I will then see too what ever else you are here for.”

  “What?” asks Hollia very confused at this logic.

 “He’s set in his ways,” says Cata smiling, “an old man whose been playing dungeon master for some silly game so long that he just can’t think to have visitors for any other reason.”

  “Very well,” says Rhulan looking up, “we we’re already playing your game aged man, if it makes you happy so be it, its not like what we want is anything minor.”

  Rhulan narrows her eyes thinking, “this bastard isn’t going to give us the No-ma just for passing these stupid tests I’d put money on it.”

  “I don’t think he’s going to give us the No-ma just for passing these stupid tests,” says Betty causing Rhulan to nearly lose her footing as they continue on their way over the path.

  “I mean,” says Betty, “like this is a game right? So like what we want isn’t the prize, just asking for it is the prize right? So like this is..”

  “Then lets play Miss Betty,” says Hollia, “I mean it’s just a local hero event, collecting medals from towers that prove adventurer skills and abilities. I mean that’s pretty cool really, if we each get a medal, oooh I know just the place in my room to hang it, maybe frame it.”

  Rhulan smiles as they reach the other side of the room before the door, Lin Lin floating up into Hollia’s arms from off the floor, Cata last in line and hopping for some reason from her spot on the invisible walk over to the visible floor before the door.

  “That’s my girl,” says Rhulan, “Maybe when we’re done with our real adventure we can get the rest of these medals when we come back home.”

  “Really?” asks Hollia excited at the prospect.

  “Huh?” comes the raspy voice of Ole-Tomash from above, “done already? You are some very interesting people, talking and walking and finishing trial one. But it is usually customary at the start of each tower for the party to say the name of their group and who they are so I can record how far you got so when you come back after failing you can see if you get as far, further, or not as far; and of course send a message bird back to the guild to record which groups have gotten which medals or got how far in each tower.”

  “you know what,” says Cata, “it occurs to me that those other adventurers we passed didn’t say anything about this.”

  Hollia shrugs, “Maybe Miss Cata its considered common knowledge around here. Adventuring by foot across the woods from tower to tower zigzagging from town to town.”

  She puts her finger to her lip thinking, “Wow, it must be a lot more peaceful out here than I thought.”

  “Well,” says Rhulan, “all our biggest problems so far have been either related to the monsters after us, or the monsters after Captain Betty here, aside from the dragon attacking that town some time back and the general aid jobs these region is pretty free of war and has few bandits. I am honestly surprised its actually this peaceful, I remember overhearing students from Northern Ravashira talking about all sorts of inter-kingdom war fare and similar serious problems all across the rest of the world. But we live in a neutral zone, which all things considered is pretty cool in and of its self.”

  *cough*

  Ole-Tomash coughs over the voice over system, “I don’t mean to interrupt your…conversation…but there is still the matter of the introductions for…you know…the records I mentioned.”

  “Of course, of course,” says Rhulan, “Exposition is part of the adventurer code you know too, if you must know we all came out here from Stratalia. It’s actually our first time out this way so far from the coasts.”

  “Oh!” says Ole-Tomash excited, “I see to you folks our trials and what not must seem so strange, you people are all too serious…however make no mistake, these trials are very serious. They will test you on your skills and abilities in ways no school homework ever could, you passed the first test, but six more are…wait…the record…are you trying to distract me young lady?”

  “Young?” says Rhulan with a laugh, “No, no, you misunderstand me, our group has no name; and the last person we met you wanted introductions wanted a fight after words so you’ll excuse us if we are a bit slow on that part; after all each of us comes from a way where names being posted everywhere isn’t the most desired thing.”

  “If that is it.” says Ole-Tomash thinking to himself they may be criminals, “then I can’t help you, the rules are the rules, and it would take a full committee of all the Prism Wizards to change that, sorry.”

  Hollia looks downtrodden, it’s not clear if it’s because of the whole medal deal or if for the actual purpose of getting No-ma from this eccentric sorcerer, which it seems she might just have forgotten about.

  “I don’t mind,” says Cata, “what ever you want, I have no scruples, not like anyone I know is tracking me down.” She actually glances quickly at Betty who sighs.

  “Well,” says Betty, “Its not like my pain in the ass is using postings from adventurer shops to find me anyway.”

  Hollia brightens up, however she looks at Rhulan, the one with a real reason to not want her name being posted everywhere…but what about Rurona? Before Hollia can suggest this Rhulan speaks up.

  “I am Rhulan,” she says surprising Hollia, “Our group as I said has no name, you could address us as the adventurers from Stratalia if you wish.”

  “Okay,” says Ole-Tomash, “Heroes from Stratalia, if you don’t mind, sounds better that way. And you’re the leader?”

  “No,” says Rhulan surprising everyone again, “the leader of this party..” she places her hand on Hollia’s shoulder, “Is Hollia, the holy maiden.”

  “Okay,” says Ole-Tomash, “leader: Hollia the Holy Maiden, hmmm…very good, and you miss Rhulan?”

  Rhulan says, “Just call me Rhulan the sorceress.”

  “By job title then?” he says, “and the cat-girl?”

  *rrrr* growls Cata, “I am Cata the Swords-woman.”

  “ooh, ooh,” says Betty, “I am Captain Betty! The Gun Master!”

 She actually strikes a pose with her red gun by her face and a knee in the air with a wink of the eye.

  “Okay,” says Ole-Tomash, “Heroes from Stratalia, lead by Hollia the Holy Maiden, followed by Rhulan the Sorceress…with a name like that you were pretty much destined to be a sorceress my dear, no offense to your parents for sticking you with that moniker, then we have Cata the Swords-woman, and Captain Betty the Gun Master. Hmm, two magic users, a gunner, and a swordsman…or swords-woman…very interesting party…”

  *grrriii..chiirr…riririririr* “says” Lin Lin swirling about in the air.

  “Oh,” says Hollia, “Mr. Ole-Tomash, don’t forget to list Lin Lin the Holy Dragon.”

  Lin Lin chirps happily as Ole-Tomash chuckles and says, “Of course and Lin Lin the Holy Dragon.”

  He makes some tapping sound which reveals to Rhulan that the whole conversation was being recorded only to be written down by those its seen to, she can only imagine in what ways their names might be mis-spelled, but then again in the places they’ve already helped if they get these…who knows; this whole thing is alien to her too.

  “At this point,” says Ole-Tomash, “I would normally say good luck with your first trial, but you already completed it, please proceed to the next floor for trial two, which I trust will be far more difficult than the first one.

   “On ward to glory!” says Hollia as she opens the doors to the steps.

  Rhulan smiles and shakes her head thinking, “Have fun now Hollia, I fear your future on this quest may hold many real trials and troubles, there are so many horrors in this world you’ve been shielded from. I think…I actually feel…sad for you. I’d really hate to see that bright soul darkened by the monsters we may face.”

  She thinks back as they ascend the stairs to the Dah-Hoth that slaughtered a number of people in the small town whose name she has forgotten, the giant Dah-Hoth Ravana, Gabrielle, then Impchin, Mookatin, Tin Tin, and Tandenmaru the Death Fisher, there are some real freaks they have faced, who knows what else could show up before this whole trip to the other end of the world is over; and then…what about the source of the attack on the school? Yeah sure Rhulan going after that makes since, but Hollia is still so young.

  “So?” says her inner voice, “How old was Byron when he left and helped save those princesses on the alien world Asta? How old was Tyros when fought in the Lake War? Jinron had most his adventures before he was even ten, not to mention…”

  “Enough!” thinks Rhulan shaking her head, shaking off the crazy two sided conversation in her own head, “I get it…brain, sheesh.”

  She looks at Hollia walking ahead of them; “cute…” she shakes her head.

  Betty giggles to herself while walking directly behind Rhulan mistaking Rhulan’s head motions and apparent talking to herself for something completely different filling in her head movement words herself with weird things like, “cute kid…if she were older…no don’t think like that girl…ect…”

  *Trial 2*

  The door to the second floor, which took longer to reach thanks to walking in a circle halfway across the outside of the floor, has a giant number two on it with a note carved into it saying, “Don’t trust the signs.”

   “Sings?” asks Betty as they step out into a room with a stone wall in front of them with six metal doors.

  Hanging on the wall are five giant gold keys.

  The voice of Ole-Tomash comes from above, “you have before you a room filled with many magically locked doors, there is a way to reach the other side using only five doors. You have five magic keys, each will vanish so long as your party remains inside the tower after one use. Good luck.”

  “I see,” says Hollia with a thoughtful expression, “it’s like a memory game, I mean you can come back however many times you want right? So you try and remember what doors you used before each time trying to find the other side of the floor, well unless you have a lot of luck.”

  She summons her cane and taps on the wall which emits red sparks from her taps, “The wall has strong anti-phasing and anti-clairvoyance spells, the only option we have is…”

  *sni-crack*

   Green energy appears and cracks like glass before vanishing as Rhulan opens one of the doors, Betty and Cata had just gathered up the keys as Hollia rushes over to Rhulan grabbing onto her arm with a wide smile on her face saying, “for Miss Rhulan to use her Lock Breaker move.”

  Still holding onto Rhulan with one arm and a wide smile she turns to the others, “Time is of the essence, we can’t afford to come back later. So onward we go, we wont let some tower trials slow us down!”

 Hollia starts to giggle; however she stops and blushes as lets go of Rhulan, bowing her head and saying, “Oh, sorry Miss Rhulan; its just like you read my mind.”

  “No problem,” says Rhulan, “I like your enthusiasm. So what you say we get this silly trial over with already?”

  Betty and Cata exchange looks, both remembering that one time they saw Rhulan’s Lock Breaker in action, back at the mansion of Magistrate O’Bish, and equally wandering why they need bother with these silly trials, the first was simple enough, and this one is clearly just meant to get the local adventurers coming back for more to weed out the less determined to win these medals Ole-Tomash was talking about.

   Rhulan opens door after door after door and so on for perhaps thirteen doors in total before they finally reach the door marked exit on the other side.

  “Very good,” comes the voice of Ole-Tomash, “you…huh? That’s odd my sensors are saying the keys haven’t been used and thirteen doors were opened? How…how did you accomplish that?”

  “It’s easy!” shouts out Hollia happily, “Miss Rhulan’s Lock Breaker move, no magic lock stands a chance against Miss Rhulan!”

  Now Rhulan is the one to blush.

  “I…see…” says Ole-Tomash, “well, this trial was meant to test your determination, memory, and possibly luck, however it seems it instead tested your abilities. Well the next trial won’t be so easy.”

  The doorway rather than leading to a stairway leads to an iron rung vertical ladder. Up they go Hollia in the lead, and to the door marked with the number three.

   *Trial 3*

    Inside they find a dark room, an un-natural darkness that even their illumination spells can’t dispel.

   “What is this?” asks Rhulan, a question coming from her actually causing Hollia to worry for the first time.

  “This,” comes the raspy voice of Ole-Tomash who pauses to inhale something, possibly an oxygen breather, “Is not like the last two, in the last two trials you simply had to reach the other side of the room, *weez*, that would be too easy, just walk right across I’m sure you’ll find it. You might run into a few poles here and there, but nothing really blocking the way. However *cough* the door is locked, the key is hidden in this room, you just have to find it is all but…”

  “The key is moving,” says Cata, “I can hear the metal jingle, it’s…”

  Her ear twitches, “it’s being worn around the neck, or maybe leg, of a bird of some kind.”

  Watching Cata Hollia makes her own ears wiggle, while she’s had them she hasn’t thought till now to try and use them, able to move them in all directions independently just like the ears of a cat. As she does so a jingle catches her ears and a slight rustle.

  “I hear it!” she shouts causing a flapping sound they can all hear, “I mean I heard it right over there. Wow these ears are so cool.”

  Rhulan starts to rub Hollia’s ears causing her to blush, “yep very useful, and fluffy, and…” she snatches her hands away, “I…sorry.”

  She narrows her eyes looking around and while focusing on the far wall snaps her finger setting off a purple explosion that causes the darkness to ripple, but remains, however they can feel the bird flying over head across the room away from it.

  “A confusion spell emitter,” she says, “On top of darkness coming from what I gather to be  a Shadow Raven, this guy put up a confusion spell emitter, my guess the slow drunk kind. So the longer we remain the more we become confused, loose our inhibitions…” she blushes, “like I did just now, and loose our focus, eventually leading us to pass out like we had, had far too much to drink. At which point I imagine we fail the test and find ourselves awake outside.”

  “Very good,” says Ole-Tomash, “recorder note, fix drunk gem on third floor, however I am not a cold hearted bastard you know. You’d find yourselves awake in the nearby town’s hospital, just a little ways north called Oma-Town. Yes that spell was the time limit, but its not over yet you still…”

  *Caw!*

  “Got it.” says Cata as she plucks the key off the bird and lets it loose, “I am a first class nocturnal hunter you know, my mother taught me to hunt birds before I could even walk up right.” She stops her bravado seeing their expressions and clears her throat, “I mean…lets get out of here already.”

  Find their way to the other side of the darkened room they reach and go through the door, finding inside a stairway much like the one from the first to second floor.

  In the chamber of Ole-Tomash, with the voice system turned off he says, “Note to self, for cat-girls third trial is a breeze…also note to self apparently that priestess at her reserve was right, she isn’t the only cat-girl smart enough to talk normal and become an adventurer, going to have to apologize to her the next time I see her I suppose.”

   *Trial 4*

   The Next room would seem to be nothing spectacular other than the fact that the ceiling is oddly low and only a few feet into the room the rest of the floor is cut off by a large stone wall. Except that in the center for a space of only three feet to four feet wide the wall appears to be moving, upon closer inspection they find that while there is a scraping sound this sound is being caused by a sound-effect spell rather than actual friction for the moving block is floating an inch off the ground and has a clearance of perhaps a foot from the ceiling. The stationary wall of course goes clear to the ceiling, but only goes for about eight inches before the sliding block.

   The block clears the door-way, if it can be called that, in the wall to reveal that it was sliding between two walls back and forth, and that only ten feet more down a narrow hall there is another sliding block. In the brief few seconds before it starts to come back the other way Rhulan pokes her head in the passage it slides into. As it clears going the other direction she peeks down the other way.

  Chuckling she says, “There are dimension loops on the walls.”

  “So it’s like the first one?” asks Hollia.

  “Yep,” says Rhulan, “it’s a simulation of a real death trap adventurers might encounter in someone’s dungeon labyrinth.”

  “What’s the problem?” asks Cata, “We just walk past when the wall clears, who’d be dumb enough to get caught in this thing.”

  “Its all about team work Miss Cata,” says Hollia, “In the real world you’d also have monsters in the dungeon, so you’d have to time the walls with your whole party, deciding who goes first, for you never know what freaky traps or dangers might be waiting on one side or the other for your party to split up…or leave one person behind or ahead for get picked off. You have to decide, and plan and…”

   *creeeeek…poosh*

   Hollia turns to see Rhulan standing there holding the block in place with one hand keeping the passage clear.

   “Heavy,” says Rhulan, “But not impressively so.”

  Hollia shrugs, “Then again, the only danger here would be the simulated smashing if we timed it wrong.”

  Before Hollia can move ahead Betty says, “Allow me,” as she walks past and does the same as Rhulan with the second, but needing to use both hands.

  Beyond it they can see a third sliding wall, however when it clears they can see the exit. Cata, putting her shoulder into holds the third one open. Hollia isn’t certain if the walls are getting heavier as they were moving faster one after the other, or if Rhulan really is that strong, and Betty too.

  Hollia walks down the hallway with Lin Lin in her arms, almost feeling like a princess as her three companions guard her way to the door. After clearing each one, Rhulan, then Betty; after Hollia and Rhulan, then Cata; after Hollia, Betty, and Rhulan, they let go and move on.

   As they open the exit door to a spiral staircase the voice of Ole-Tomash comes on, “Well…that again…was different. You know no one who has ever reached this trial has ever been caught by it…well except this one guy’s party who all tried to rush it at once and this fat guy got caught disqualifying the whole group. I must applaud your use of team work, and comradary, not to mention impressive skill. I see now why you wanted to just come straight to me; you must indeed be seasoned adventurers. Dare I say you may even be dragon slayer quality. But all that speed, strength, and magic will avail you not in the next trial, ha, ha, ha,….*cough, wheeze*…ha, oh I need my breathing spray.”

   *Trail 5*

   Up the winding stairs and into the next floor; the floor however is far from what is expected. Approximately half the floor of this dome shaped room is cut off by a flat wall that doesn’t touch the floor or ceiling and seems to only be connected via central pole which half way down has a large television screen on it. The floor near this center is clearly a platform cut off from the rest of this floor with a podium of some kind before the screen. The impression is clearly that the wall and this section of floor must rotate when what ever the trial is, is done to take the party to the other side.

  As they approach the platform and the podium the screen comes on to reveal a man in a face concealing red robe with only his point white beard and dark hued wrinkled old hands visible.

  “You must be Ole-Tomash.” says Rhulan.

  “Indeed,” he says, “You are impressive, yes indeed, however beyond this floor the trials will become….deadlier. The trials below were meant to weed out the weak and feeble minded. This trial is no different, a true adventurer must not just have skill and ability, they should know their history!”

  *ding, ding, ding, ding,*

  A series of lights flash on around the screen and on the podium.

  “So pick out your smartest party member, for now it’s the quiz trial! *wheeze, cough, wheeze,*

  *sniff-uff* he inhales from a small L shaped device he holds into the darkness of his hood.

  Rhulan pats Hollia on the back pushing her to the podium, “Okay, schools in session.”

  Hollia takes a deep breath and says, “Okay,”

  “Decided then?” says Ole-Tomash, “I will ask a series of ten questions, you must get at least six right to proceed to the next floor. Your team mates can not help you, their part in this trial was their judgment in picking you.”

  Hollia nods and Lin Lin flies back to watch with the others.

  “Question one,” he says, “What was the name of the hero who in 1774 defeated the Shining Black Dragon which resulted in saving the world from possible rule by dragons in the future?”

  “Gino-Lee.” says Hollia with out hesitating, “and with him were his wife Harley the White Priestess, and the twin Draconians Farns and Fiana.”

  “Correct, however you don’t get bonus points for knowing more than I asked.”

  Hollia shrugs.

  “Question two, in what year did the Rhulan Empire fall?”

  “One thousand.”

  “correct again, question three, what was the name of the hero who defeated Rhulan?”

  “Gyro-Lee, and he didn’t do it alone, his wife Anna Norami, and friends Lars the Axe Wielder, and the Pyro Mage Magilish. Plus they would have failed if not for a magical mirror given to them by a mysterious gypsy who would appear on their journey at regular intervals to give them clues.”

  “uhhh, right, that’s right…”

  He pauses for a moment thinking, “crap, they did say they came from Stratalia didn’t they, guess that wasn’t a lie after all. Would also explain why they’re so tough.”

  “Excuse me Mr. Ole-Tomash,” says Hollia, “that was only three questions.”

  “right, right,” he says clearing his throat, “question four, name three different fire spells that are classified as fire-balls.”

  “Okay,” she says, “Fire-Womph, Fire-Ball, Fire-Sphere, and…”

 “correct,” he says interrupting her, “I did say just three, and now that I think about it I really should try to re-phrase that question so that Fire-Ball isn’t an obvious answer with any others.”

  She smiles as he continues, “question five, how many different types of Gill-men are there and where in the world can they be found.”

  “Hmmm,” says Hollia, “I think there are four types, one is from Amazonia, one is from Croix, another from Xiang, and the last one is….oh, its from Nipponia isn’t it.”

  “Correct,” he says with a sigh as they can hear a flipping sound as he looks somewhere off screen. The sound revealing that he has a screen book with him with numerous questions and answers to ask about.

 “Okay,” he says after about thirty seconds, “question six, what embarrassing event lead to the end of the war between Postorina and Crimdalina?”

  “Oh that?” says Hollia with a broad smile, “That was when my dad and mom first met, they and my uncle…who I’ve never met, but we’re going to here before too long, saved my grandma, my mom’s mom, from some cult guys who were keeping her stasis pod. My mom and dad fought them off and woke her up just in time. Yeah the armies of Postorina and Crimdalina showed up just then, but my grandma broke out laughing when she saw them telling them that the fancy weapon coating and armor they were fighting with, and over, was really just Elf food. It’s really pretty funny.”

  Hollia giggles, “I mean they go around thinking they have these invincible magical weapons and armor, only to find out its just food that is toughened up for travel and simple things like saliva and salt-water can return them to their normal edible and much weaker states.”

   Betty gives Hollia a curious look.

  “Hold up!” says Ole-Tomash with a rapid flipping sound going on off-screen as he says, “Hollia, Holl-uh, Hol-lee-uh…”

  He goes wide eyed looking at something off screen, an image in his magic flip book screen of Hollia wearing the same white robes, same hair, no cat-ears though, but everything else is the same.

  “Holly-Lia!?” he says looking at her, “you…you’re…Holly-Lia?! The princess of Stratalia?”

  “Princess?” she asks

  He doesn’t hear and says, “Wha…it’s…” he looks back and forth…, “it’s true, this is you…minus those stylish cat-ears…but…”

  He thinks back to over-hearing their conversation during the first trial and remembers they mentioned “No-ma”.

  “I see,” he says looking at them, “As I recall one of you mentioned No-ma, earlier. I am guessing that is why you are here. For the No-ma for Princess Holly-Lia.”

  “I’m not…” says Hollia

  “Although,” he says, “Traveling incognito and using practically the same name shows either guts or foolishness depending on how one stands. Although with body guards like those…”

  He thinks back to them holding the wall traps open, “I think unless a full grown dragon or something attacks you’re pretty safe.”

  “That was six questions.” says Rhulan, “you going to let us go on or what?”

  Hollia looks at Rhulan with puppy-dog eyes, or kitty eyes as the case may be, “But there are still four more questions Miss Rhulan.”

  “I’m afraid,” says Ole-Tomash, “and with my apologies princess but the last four I had chosen wouldn’t be much of a challenge, I mean the next would be about your brother’s adventure to the world of Asta, then I was going to ask about…*gulp*…ehhh, touchy subject now come to think of it, about your grandmother’s assassination, sorry, and the last two would have been about…well I guess you already answered the names of the other party members with Gyro-Lee and the magic weapon used to defeat the Evil Empress Rhulan. So…”

  *tap*

  He pushes a button below the screen and the whole floor moves around with the exit now at their back.

  “So,” says Rhulan, “you going to let us come up and ask about the No-ma now or what?”

  “Sorry,” he says, “rules are rules, can’t go showing favoritism even for a princess. You pass the last two trials and then we’ll discuss that.”

  Hollia sighs whispering, “I’m in line to become a dean not a queen.”

  *Trial 6*

   The sixth floor is nothing but a round empty room with a stone floor and five windows.

   “Now Princess Holly-Lia,” says the voice of Ole-Tomash.

  “Please,” says Hollia, “Please Mr. Ole-Tomash just call me Hollia.”

  “I see,” he says, “So you are indeed doing what your ancestor, or should I say great-grandfather did, instead of calling himself Staltos-Lee he would travel the world going by Stratos the Sky Warrior.”

  Hollia sighs, “Yes, I suppose.”

  “Very well then,” says Ole-Tomash, “in any case this next trial is a trial of combat, each of you must defeat a monster that I have summoned.”

   From a blue archaic symbol on the floor a skeleton with tattered cloths and wielding a sword rises.

  *Bra-Koom!*

  Lin Lin immediately destroys it with a Devastation Beam, sending its bits and pieces flying apart and vanishing in blue flames, per the nature of such a summoned magical creature.

  “Was that it?” asks Betty.

  “Uh…” comes the voice of Ole-Tomash, “Wait, did I say monster…no I meant monsters.”

  Two more archaic circles appear with skeletons rising from them.

  “Allow me,” says Rhulan, “This is the perfectly opportunity to test this.”

  She pulls out her nano-egg and aims it at one of the skeletons saying, “Metal-Skeleton come forth!”

  A blue beam strikes one of the skeletons. A metal coating forms around its bones, linking the parts together with mechanical forms, the archaic circle beneath it changes from blue to purple the mystical energy rising up like tentacles around the skeleton summoning more matter to add over-top of the skeleton’s frame. When its done the eyes flash alive blue.

  “Metal-Skeleton,” says Rhulan, “destroy that skeleton!”

  *clang*
  *clak*
  *clang*
  *shiik*

  The two skeletons, one bone the other metal, fight back and forth with their swords. The blade of the bone one scraps the metal one *shiiik*, only to cause a few sparks.

  *brook*

  The sword of the Metal-Skeleton smashes into the skull of the Skeleton becoming embedded in it.

  *pwoosh*

  The skull turns to dust as the Metal-Skeleton pulls its sword out. The body of the skeleton vanishes in blue flames as it crumbles to the floor.

     “Impressive.” Comes the voice of Ole-Tomash, “a spell that takes control of a summoned monster during summoning and enhances it. Problem is…you still have that one monster left, you’re going to have to let it out of your control and fight it to pass.”

  Rhulan shrugs saying, “Metal-Skeleton, return to dust.”  

 The Metal-Skeleton collapses on the floor turning to dust; which then bursts into blue flames and vanishes.

  “Okay…” says Ole-Tomash, “a spell that takes control of a summoned monster, and then allows you to make it self-destruct…I
really should check back in some time into some of the stuff Stratalia is coming out with.”

  Hollia, Betty, and Cata all exchange looks with Rhulan who just chuckles and shrugs whispering, “let him think that.”

  The exit door appears on the opposite wall.

   *Trial 7*

      What they see when they enter the seventh door is the last thing they expected to see; a cluttered room. Chairs, piles of books, what could be a bed, a fold out mattress leaning against a wall, empty bird cages, some lamps, a couple of desks covered in papers and small screens, a couch for some reason, essentially its an open space the size of a house cluttered like  the bedroom of some dysfunctional librarian. On the far end sitting at a cluttered desk with drop down screen on wires being pushed around some wires and circular frame apparatus hanging from the ceiling, with a few other smaller screens, one of which must be what was used to speak to them two floors below and another smaller one the flip-book screen, is Ole-Tomash in the flesh.

  “Sooo,” says Betty cocking her head, “the seventh trial is navigating over to the desk?”

  “Hmm,” says Ole-Tomash standing…slowly standing holding his back as he does so, “You have completed all seven trials, so now its time for your reward.”

  He waves his hand chanting something and a bottle flows off one of the many book cases and shelves lining the ones, neither one exclusively holding what one would think it should hold. He waves for them to come over. Its trickier than one may think to navigate, this man treats the floor the same as the desks, a place to store things, discard things, and apparently a place to sleep and eat.

   “Good work adventurers,” he says as he reaches into the bottle pulling out five small red badges with an ornate symbol of a fire breathing dragon on them, “Five adventurers in the log, five adventurers passed the tower.”

  “What about the seventh trial?” asks Hollia.

  “hmm? Oh that.” says Ole-Tomash, “the seventh trial was the twist.”

  He chuckles and coughs a little, “oh, yes, being able to handle the un-expected. The two extra skeletons.”

   ---Trial 7--…completed…apparently.

   Rhulan rolls the little medal over in her hand and drops in her cape, Cata in a pocket, Betty in a pocket, Lin Lin sorta…chews on hers, and Hollia looks it over with a grin on her face before sticking it in a small pocket on the side of her robes.

   “Now that, that’s out of the way,” says Rhulan, “we’ve come here because we heard, well you already know.”

   “The No-ma.” says Ole-Tomash smiling as he turns and walks over to shelf behind him pulling down a jar with seven dried up brown leaves in it, each about a foot long.

  “This is it,” he says.

  “thank you,” says Hollia.

  “not so fast young lady.” He says, “I already rewarded you for the trials, which is the rule, like I said, to come to me and get the medal you must first pass my trials. However the No-ma is another matter. This plant isn’t exactly common. There are only two places on this continent that even grow it in substantial amounts. I am sure princess you are aware your kingdom of Stratalia is one of them. The other…”

  *he cracks his neck*

  “Is…a rather odd place filled with…monsters…yes, and quit a ways away from here. But my No-ma is right here, and to be honest those trials were clearly too easy for your group; however you proved yourselves worthy, yes lets also call the trials a test of worthiness to go on the quest to get the No-ma.”

  “Ssseriousssly.” says Cata half hissing.

  “Yes…” he says eyeing her, “In fact, this whole conversation…is…how do you say…giving me Deja-vue, or is Dejon vo, its…such a weird term…is it some ancient language or something…you might know princess being half Elf and all…is it Elf?”

   Cata and Betty both snap their necks looking at Hollia.

  “She’s not an Elf.” says Betty.

  “hmmm?” hums Ole-Tomash, “Do you not know the story of the war between Postorina and Crimdalina? She did answer it correctly in the quiz. Her mother is Jasma, an Elf. That whole war was fought over two Elf food shipment crates that had crashed in the two kingdoms with their contents mistaken for magical weapons.”

  “Well,” says Cata half to herself but loud enough for others to hear, “that explains the whole unknown genetic signature from when I scanned her.”

  “Wow,” says Betty, “cool, guess I’m not the only Elf on the team.”

  Ole-Tomash’s eyes widen.

  “Did I like say that out loud?” asks Betty.

  “Yes,” says Rhulan, “Okay we already know Angels are actually winged Elves, you both now know what every scholar knows that Hollia and her brother by the way are both half Elf on top of…” she looks between Ole-Tomash and them and thinks better of mentioning the Kuhrai aspect around a record keeping hermit, “other things. Now lets get back to what’s important.”

  She turns to Ole-Tomash, “Okay, trials not with-standing, it was fun, we got these neat little medals to commemorate the event, and when we’re done with our mission we might just come back and do the rest just for fun. However what we really came here for, and why you should have let us up the service elevator, unless you expect us to believe they moved furniture up through those traps and deliver food through them, is yes…about the No-ma.”

  “Please Miss Rhulan,” says Hollia turning to Ole-Tomash and with a slight bow befitting the princess he thinks she is and with a regal polite tone, “Mr. Ole-Tomash of the red tower. We thank you for the training experience and the reward. We are however on a mission, we have deterred from it for my sake, which is in of its self a selfish act on our part. It’s something that could be mistaken for vanity. Due to this I would gladly partake in a separate mission on your behalf in order to obtain the No-ma.”

  Ole-Tomash pulls back his hood revealing his wrinkled old face with its broad smile and a tear in his eye, “Oh my,” he says, “To be so politely spoken to by an Elf Princess…I would have loved such a thing to have happened in my youthful days as an adventurer. Yes next to being a guest at a Draconian feast, or tied with it, is a fantasy of many a young hot-blooded adventurer.”

  He strokes his beard looking at the jar, “To be honest just for that I would normally give you the No-ma, problem is what I said a moment ago, Deja—what have you, there was actually a young lady, polite young thing, dressed rather strange, she passed all the tests too, was really weird about it like you lot even.”

  He strokes his beard some more, “In fact I am almost certain she was somehow cheating with the quiz, she just kept staring at my eyes through the screen really intently. I wander if she could see the answers reflected off my eyes…”

  He waves his hand dismissing it, “At any rate, she too was after the No-ma, and she accepted a job in order to get it. To be fare to that polite young beauty I will have to ask the same of you, I can’t think of a different job as important, so why not the same job? Yes, yes, that works out fine, shouldn’t be any trouble for your group a quick jot out into the woods, into a cave, to return a treasure to me that my grandfather hid there.”

  “What’s the catch,” says Cata, “trust me, when it comes to treasure I’m the one to speak to, so let’s see, cave, a relative
put treasure there, and you can’t just go and get it. Either you’re too old to get passed some trap, or there’s a monster involved.”

  “Miss Cata,” says Hollia.

  “She’s right princess,” says Ole-Tomash, “I was just getting to that, my grandfather summoned a monster to guard the treasure, some water spirit or something. I am better at herbal magic myself, those skeletons were the limits of my summoning skills, and my offensive magic, especially in my old age, is no where near up to par. You lot and the young lady from earlier are in fact the first ones ever to reach the top of my tower.”

  “Which would be why he was so insistent on seeing it done.” thinks Rhulan understanding his motive.

  Rhulan shrugs, “No problem.”

  Hollia turns to him saying, “Mr. Ole-Tomash, we will gladly accept this quest. We will…” she looks around the room thinking twice about asking for accommodations for the night, “head out at once.”

   “Really?” he says, “Shouldn’t you rest first?”

  “No, really,” she says.

  “We have competition to catch up with and beat there.” says Rhulan noticing Hollia’s dilemma of manner.

  “Of course,” says Ole-Tomash, “Yes, she headed out before sun-set, very eager, saying something about needing to get the No-ma first before…something about dark cooks…or…to tell the truth I’m not really certain, she jumped out the window so fast yelling something about needing to hurry that I can’t say for certain what she was saying as she ran off into the woods. Then again I only told her it was to the North East, she ran off before I could give her the map.”

   This bit of news brings a smile to all their faces, Hollia though immediately feels a little guilty about feeling that way. He hands them an old paper map of the area, but it does show distance and landmarks to the cave.

  As they go down a service elevator that opens up along a hidden opening in the way, which turns here and there as though actually built to avoid the stairs Ole-Tomash as he sits down think, “Oh crap, me and my bad memory again, I completely forgot to tell them what the treasure is.”

  *shrugs*

  “Well shouldn’t be too hard to notice what that blasted monster is guarding.”