Zephyr survey’s the area around the square looking to see that there was anyone he recognized.  Doing an F-2 he isn’t surprised to see at the top of whom is online list was Emerald.  Now the big question where was she and was she ok.

     Also on the list were Queen Martla, Tibis, Thorlin, and himself along with 100 other players.  The young elf hopes there will not be any trouble today.  As if tempting fate he hears Tibis shouting that he was going to get a certain pretty little gray elf kicked out of Fantasy realm.

     Knowing this was going to get Tholin hackles up Zephyr starts looking quickly for his friend.  Spying his friend moving quickly across the square towards the inn.  Zephyr intercepts him... blocking his friends why.

     “He just wants to sucker you into a fight Tholin, lets go find Emerald,” Zephyr distracting the smaller gray elf.

     Looking up at the Inn then at Zephyr.  Mumbling something in quietly, Tholin nods okay.  Grabbing Zephyr’s arm and heads towards The Land of Dreams.

  “I think I have figured out a way to get in to see RL Emerald,” looking straight a head, Tholin says to Zephyr.

     “Really? Cool... how are you going to do that?” Zephyr asks inquisitively.

     “Don’t tell Em, because I don’t want her disappointed.  Lets just say I have some talented friends,” Tholin comments to his young friend.

     The two elves briskly walk down the road, passing the huge ornate gates of The Land of Dreams.  Tholin stops a moment, looking at the name on a dream gate.

     “Who is that Tholin,” Zephyr asks not recognizing the name.
     On the name plaque on the dream was the name Mimble Bytsbender. Tholin whispers to the owner of the dream, “ Mat?”

     “I think this is one of the guys I went to school with.  He has a way with CPU’s,” Tholin informs Zephyr.

  “Cool, you think he would help you with your project?” Zephyr asks.

     Shrugs and waits for an answer to his whisper Tholin begin to wonder if it is whom he thought it were.

     Mimble whispers back, “ Aerik?  You son of a bitch how did you guess it was me?”

     Tholin chuckles and whispers back, “well, that the name I gave you.  Didn’t think there would be more than one Mimble Bytebender.”

   Zephyr standing patiently watching the others and wishing he could hear what they were whispering about.

     Tholin looks at his companion.  Asking Mimble if they could come in for a moment he had a project he thought Mimble would be interested in.

     Mimble intrigued magically opens the gate to the dream.  The two Elves walk through the white garden fence into a weed-infested garden.  In the far corner of the garden is a small shack with boards across the windows.  Zephyr looks down the weed-choked path and can feel the hair on the back of his neck standing up.

     Tholin chuckles at the nervousness of the younger elf.  “Don’t worry nothing to harmful will jump out at you.”

     Zephyr laughs slightly, “ I hope not.”  Still looking apprehensively around the garden.

     In the middle of the path to the small shack there is a giant spiderweb stretched between the trees.  There is only two ways around the web and neither is that appealing.

     The first way is over slime coated logs laying across a bog that water is as black as night and has what looks like sticks floating in it but with closer inspection the sticks are actually bones of various races.

     The other way is through thick growth vines hanging from the trees.  The air is still but they seem to move slightly.  Zephyr looks at Tholin curiously.

     “Well what do you think?” Zephyr asks his friend.

     Thorlin looks at the two options then looks back at Zephyr.  Shrugs and heads for the bog.  Carefully he steps on one of the logs, feeling the slime squish under his feet.

   Beckoning Zephyr to follow.   The young agile youth steps onto the log and right away almost slips into the inky black water.   Gasps and holding very still till he gets his footing.  Looks quickly over at Tholin who is only a few feet in front of him.

     Eyes wide he shouts to Tholin to look out.  One of the skeletal hands is slipping up the green iridescent log towards Tholin ankle.  “THOLIN!”

     Turning quickly to look at Zephyr he slips and falls into the dark water.  Tholin feeling the cold muck close around him pulling him deep into the blackness.  A sense of suffocation starts to come over him.  Fighting the thick goo he makes his way back to the surface.

    Above him he can hear Zephyr calling his name.   About in a state of panic Zephyr looks for a stick or something to pull his friend out with.

    Paying attention to the skeleton hands he suddenly feels a strong hand grab his ankle. Kicking out at the hand without thinking he hears Tholin’s voice yelling, “ Hey, Help me up... Stop Kicking at me!”

    Breathing hard he looks down and sees Tholin holding onto his ankle.   Very carefully he reaches down, grabbing the gray elf’s hand and pulls him out of the muck.

     Standing on top of the log again Tholin coughs and carefully, but quickly moves to the other side of the bog. Followed close behind by Zephyr.

     “ He doesn’t make it easy does he?”  Zephyr states as he stumbles onto the bank.

   Shaking his arms and head letting slime and black peat fly all over.   Tholin laughs, “ no he doesn’t; he is one of the best hackers I know.”

     Shying away from the flying gunk, he looks at the path to the run down shack.  The path is slightly clearer.  A tree hangs precariously across the path with some Spanish moss draped from it. The sound of rustling the dense underbrush can be heard.  Zephyr doesn’t like the feel of this place and wishes Tholin would hurry on so they could get to the shack.

     Zephyr says nervously, “come on Tholin this place gives me the creeps.”

     Tholin looks around his keen eyesight catching a glimpse of movement off to the right.  Touching Zephyrs arm he half shoves the young elf down the path.

     Running as fast as they can they virtually fly through the brambles, making a mad dash to the shack.  Tripping Zephyr falls over a tree root and lands on his face.  Not missing a beat he gets back up and continues to run.  His lungs burning, he can hear something moving up quickly behind him just about on his heels.  The older elf serval paces ahead of him.   Leaves and branches wiping across their faces as they make their way down the tail.

     Whipping the door open to the small build the two dive in.  Zephyr slamming his foot into the door pinning a hung clawed paw into the door, scrabbling to his feet Tholin throws his body against the door.  A high pitched scream comes from the massive creature that has chased them into the small room.

     The forearm retreats back from the door and Zephyr lacks the door.   He leans heavily against the sturdy wooden door and slowly peers out the window next to him.  Tholin peering out the other window they see a huge cat disappear back into the thick under growth.

     Exhaling they look around the room.  Directly across from them is a cot and small wood burning stove.  In the middle of the room is a small roughly made table.  Against the wall to the right of them is a small dresser, just beyond it is the starts that leads to the main dream.  To the left is a weapons cabinet.  The only windows in the building are on either side of the door that Zephyr is leaning against.  Everything is covered with a thick layer of dust like no one had been in there in decades.  There is cob weds running along the ceiling.  The building smells musty and the stench of decaying vegetation can be smelled permeating up through the floorboards.

    Feeling secure that the door is latched they head for the stairs in the back of the room.  Parting the invisible strand of spider webs as they go.

     Trying to make light of the situation Tholin comments, “ he really does need a maid.”

     Zephyr chuckles lightly picking up his pace to the stairs.

     First to reach the stairs the youth looks down the dark forbidding stairway and makes his way into the gloom of the dimly lit portal.  Looking back over his shoulder he just catches a glimpse of his friend as he is enveloped into the darkness.

     What seems like an eternity they reach the bottom of the stairs.  Opening the big metal door, the two bedraggled companions enter the main dream.

     Entering the room, the roughly cut stone walls are covered with thick glowing iridescent slime like what was on the log.  Embedded in the walls are torch sconces with flaming torches giving this large room an eerie glow.  The ceiling is vaulted and large oak beams stretch across the expanse or the room.  The floor seemed to be made of flagstone very smooth from years of wear.  There is very little in the way of furnishings in this room, only a couple of chairs along the walls.  In the opposite wall there is an ornately carved double door made of some dark wood.  A carving of demons dancing around a fire can be made out on the doors.  Two large bronze rings hang as door pulls.  Holding them on to the door are two bronze hands, grasping the rings tightly.

     Tholin grabs one of the rings and pulls the door open.  Zephyr following closely behind him. The next room took the two men aback.   This room seemed to be a torture chamber of sorts.  In the middle of the room is a large stone pit with a gallows constructed over it, a hangmen noose still swinging slightly.  To the right of the pit is a large hearth with branding irons setting next to it and a stone pillar with shackles hanging from it.

     Against the wall right is 4 cell doors.  Two of which are open.  The cell doors are made of heavy metal with a hinged door in the bottom to slip food or water through, by the looks of the small doors they hadn’t been use as must has the main cell door.   The window in the cell door is quite small and has thick metal bars through it.  A rat runs along the floor against the wall and ducks into one of the open cells.

     To the left of the it in the far corner is a iron maiden standing open becking to its next victim the spikes stained dark from the former occupants blood.  Along that wall were racks with manacles on long chains that went to the ceiling and were run through large gears. The floor under the manacles was another set anchored into the floor.

     Zephyr looking at the room begins to wonder about Thorin’s friend.  Across the room from them was another huge double door with a laughing demon face carved into it. The door split the face in half; the door pulls were the demons upper fangs.  Zephyr eager to leave this room, without hesitation pulled the door opened.

     This room surprised the two men. I was a giant geode, the walls sparkling like a million diamond.  In the center is a stone altar with a red velvet cover with gold embroidery over it. On either side of the altar are two bronze braziers.  To the right was a tapestry with demons in a battle with angels. To the left an average size wooden door with bronze hardware.  Behind the alter is a high back stone chair, that looks to be made of sand stone, ornately carved with two skulls carved into the hand rests.

     Zephyr starts to head for the wooden door when Tholin says, “ no this way.”
Tholin takes Zephyr’s elbow and heads for the tapestry.  Slightly confused he follows the older elf.  Tholin pulls back the wall cover and behind it is a secret passageway.

     “How did you know?”  Zephyr asks.

     Grinning like a Cheshire cat Tholin moves into the passage.  Again the walls are coated with the glowing green slime.  There is slits cut into the stone walls just large enough for crossbow bolts to go through.  They get about halfway down the passage when Tholin notices a strip of slightly different than the rest.  “Zephyr try not to step on that strip. I think it may be a trigger or something...”

     Zephyr about to jump out of his skin anyway nods and carefully follows.

     Finally reaching the door Tholin checks the door for traps.  Seeing none he twists the nob and opens the door.  Apprehensively to what may lay in wait on the other side.

     There on the other side is a darkly paneled room.  The first thing Tholin sees is a large banquet table with twelve high back chairs running the length of the room.  The room is done in red velvet and black satin.  Beyond the table is a large sideboard in the center of the far wall, with cut crystal stemmed glasses and a wine carafe ½ full of wine. On the right wall was a elegantly designed fireplace with a marble hearth.  The mantel and molding surrounding the marble was detailed with inlayed tiles.  To the left of the room there is a pocket door with stain glass inserts.

     The two elves make there way to the door and slide it open.  There lounging on a divan is Tholin’s friend.   Mimbles is an over sized dwarf.  He is as wide as he is tall.  His hair cut very short with a long beard.  The beard is divided into two halves and threaded through several beads.  He is dressed in a black satin shirt and red velvet pants. On his hands are several rings made of gold and various precious gems.  Mimbles has a red velvet fez with a gold tassel hanging off it.

      This room like the previous room is richly decorated.  Tapestries cover the riches paneling.  These tapestries have pictures of unicorns and magical beasts on them.  Even though the room is dark there is warmth about it.  On the wall across from the door there is a large fireplace and hearth.  On the walls are several sconces holding 6 candles.  On the floor there is a large Oriental rug.  On the right side of the room is to wingback chairs, in between the to chairs is a table with a gas lamp on it.  All the furnishings in this room are in the queen Ann style.  Between the divan and the chairs is a coffee table.

     Mimbles smiles brightly at his friend Tholin, “ finally got here huh?”

     Tholin looks down at his filthy attar and nods, “you didn’t make it easy you know.”

     Zephyr plops himself down in one of the chairs exhausted from the trip. Scans the room while the two men talked.  Catches a grimace of movement.  Slightly hidden behind the divan he can see a woman’s hand.  Shifting position more he can see what appears to be a beautiful human woman sitting there on the rug.  Looks back up at his host and wonders why she is hiding.  He then notices a long gold chain lying across the arm of the piece of furniture Mimbles is sitting on.  Letting his eyes follow it he sees that the chain goes to a diamond-studded collar around the woman’s slender neck.  A bit surprise at the sight he looks over at Tholin.

     Noticing Tholins clothes Mimbles yaks on the chain and the beautiful woman comes out from behind the divan.  She is fair with fiery red hair that flows down her back to her knees and sparkling blue eyes.  The woman is average height and slightly on the thin side.  She is dressed in very little. Only a sheer gold silk robe.  Mimbles whispers something to the woman.  Handing the gold leash to Cara, she glides over to Tholin.

     “This is Cara,’ says Mimble, ‘ she will take you to get cleaned up.”

     Smiling softly Cara takes Tholin’s arm and ushers him towards the fireplace.  Pressing a spot on the paneling a secret door pops open.  Before they disappeared inside the room Tholin looks over at the young elf and shrugs.  Zephyr laughs.