The Avatar's Journey

[Peter Graham]

"Now look here, McAurelius, or whatever your name is, I appear to be lost. Possibly in time as well as place, judging by your rig. Could you perhaps direct me to Leicester? You'd know it as Ratae Coritani."

The cantankerous duffer clearly needed a wash as well as a reality check. Reaching into his stained and battered coat pocket, he withdrew some damp dog treats, a few bits of fluff, the stem of a clay pipe and one of Mrs Graham's shopping lists.

"Alea jacta est. Somnambulit campum jings to hang Sarah?"

He proffered the tawdry assemblage of pocket detritus towards the brave legionary as he tried to make himself understood.

"Heuch! Senatus populusque Falkirk! Ratae Coritani, old chap? Urbs Midlands sassenach b**tards? Garyus Lineker?"

 

[reiver33]

Carrying his riding boots in one hand and his dag in the other, Reiver half jogged, half slithered on stockinged feet through the long, wet grass in pursuit of the party. His soiled cloak had been discarded, along with the lance, as too cumbersum for travel on foot - and quite frankly, he was glad to be rid of the horse. Although his feet were now damp at least they were free of the pinching boots and, overall, things were looking.

Stubbing his toe on a concealed rock he sprawled full length, face down, in a convenient patch of mud.

 

[Boneman]

Unemcumbered by external auditory meatuses, Boneman heard the slap of flesh into mud, and stopped the party, allowing the Warrior to catch up. He looked pathetically grateful, whereas Boneman looked.....well, pathetic. It wasn't difficult to realise magic was at play on this journey - the dragon had transformed into a beautiful woman, probably it was the influence of the chocolate, it has been known to have an effect on the female sex. The wabbit had miraculously grown a bowler hat, and that arrow pointing above their heads....what was going on? Hemlock Castle grew in their vision.....

 

[The Ace]

You're a bit lost, pal. All roads lead to Castle Hemock, though so you'll be able to find your way from there.

 

[Parson]

The Parson closes up with the Ace. He knows he needs protection, and it sure looks as though the Ace needs the prayer.

He mutters, "Please Lord, keep us safe as we traverse into what has to be alien and evil territory." But as far as he can tell nothing has changed. All he can do is to keep putting one foot in front of the other following what he hopes is God's sign in the heavens.

When they reach Castle Hemlock will anyone be safe? Even the dragon looks vulnerable, although certainly more desirable now.

 

[chrispenycate]

Well, one entity will probably be safe; and it's not worth banging your heels on me and saying "giddyup", either. We're getting there as fast as the others. And I'm not in as much of a hurry as you are to see what's inside, anyway.

Can't say the same about his transport, though. Still, this is slightly less dangerous than telling his mother that the 'walkies' was extended a day or two.

 

[Grimward]

Grimward's head expands to ridiculous proportions before Ace helpfully punctures it with his spear.

Clearing his throat, "Right. Not sure about being God's Sign in the Heavens, but maybe that will sort itself out." Having helped to unite the dark-clad (mud-covered!) warrior with the rest of the adventurers, the flaming arrow dips slighly to the cleric, then drifts slowly towards the stream and towpath to continue reconaissance. He can't help but wonder that a lot can happen in a league.....

Looks back to see the demi-god applying his spurs to the hapless beast of burden....

 

[ctg]

A small mechanical spider crawled up a branch of tree. From time to time it stopped to look down with its ten faintly glowing eyes to a strange looking party travelling towards the Castle Hemlock. As it reached half way, it raised on its hind legs, and extended its front legs to transmit a signal. A few seconds later it received a reply from its sisters. They were ready. Feeling satisfied the spider started to weave a silvery thread. It swing gently in the wind, gaining momentum. As the angle match its calculations, it cut the tread and flew through the air to shoulder of the Boneman.

 

[Moonbat]

Moonbat lands on Boneman's other shoudler and peers round the skull to look at the mechanical spider.

'Hello' The moonbat says. 'I have never seen a mechanical spider before, I've seen clockwork cuckoos, biological bugs, hydrofish, nuclear newts, solar polar bears, geothermal gerbals and eleph ants, but never a machanical spider. Where do you come from? Who made you? What does this button do?'

Moonbat leans forward to press one of the ominous looking buttons discretely hidden upon the spider's abdomen.

 

[ctg]

With a click of a button, the spider's legs wriggled a moment and then with a mighty spark show it came apart, leaving a blackened shell on Moonbat's hand. Its sisters heard its electromagnetic death scream. It made them nervous. It could only mean one thing. The first part of the plan had failed.

 

[Moonbat]

'ummm, oops'

Moonbat's heads quickly looked around at the rest of the party hoping they hadn't noticed his accidental destruction of the mechanical spider. To his knowledge no one had, they weren't scowling at him yet. He spread his wings and quickly flew up into the trees. All the time whistling what he hoped was a nonchalant tune.

 

[ctg]

Another spider watched as the moonbat, flew between the trees, casually diving into midst of the bushy leaves. It shook her head on a disbelief as she knew that soon the strange two-headed creature would be stuck in one of their webs. Would her sisters act when it happened or would they just observe from their hiding places?

 

[Boneman]

Boneman was feeling good: he'd started the journey on his own, and now he had many companions. He wasn't too sure about a couple of them, but he knew they weren't sure about him, either. He reached out and plucked the two-headed soft crittur from the spider's web it was struggling in, and and it flew off, close to the ground, obviously upset by the close encounter with the arachnids. Boneman wasn't bothered by spiders: he had nothing to bite, so he wasn't upset in the least.

 

[chrispenycate]

Please be careful, you're breaking them.

"Spider go 'brrooooom'?"

No, they've got legs, not wheels. See, that's another one all bent and twisted up. Perhaps they'll have some wheely toys in the castle. And with the time you've spent catching those we've fallen behind the others. Tell you what, do you think you could make a cat's cradle out of a web while I walk fast to catch up to the shapechanging dragon you liked?

"Dr'gon nice."

All right, then, off we go.

 

[Boneman]

Boneman realised that two of the company had fallen behind. An older man with a small child. Could the child be 'the chosen one'? He waited until they had caught up, and the child hurried to the dragon, who had now transformed into a woman with remarkably few clothes. He assumed it was the dragon blood coursing through her veins that kept her warm. He checked on the arrow in the sky, and reckoned they were still on course for Hemlock Castle. No sooner had this thought crossed his mind than they reached the outer moat of the enormous structure, and they all came to a haphazard stop.

 

[Parson]

The Parson shivered, "How had they arrived at the Hemlock Castle so rapidly?" Was this sorcery or a miracle? Both were to be feared, but one to be shunned and the other to be embraced. But it was clear that the so called child was not going to act, and he, after all, had an invitation. So he stepped beside the man of bones (or would that be the bones of a man?) and called out to the keeper of the bridge. "Please, Mr. Bridgekeeper, lower the bridge. I am the Parson sent to offer grace at the new moon festival, and these with me have joined me on the journey. There is none here who wishes you harm." The Parson stepped back as the bridge began to lower. He thought "Well maybe this will be all right after all." Little did he know.

 

[Boneman]

With a jolt that clacked his teeth together, Boneman realised they had been standing there for 2 days. Time had passed and nobody had looked at them, or commented. This must be what the Parson was worried about, maybe time had been equalised to allow for it. But the gate was fully lowered, and it was time for a decision by the group. Boneman wished that there was a Judge who could weigh up all the arguments for and against entering, and help them out.........

 

[HareBrain]

The hare hadn't wanted to be the one to prod the group into the castle, for his eagerness might have given away his interest in the place, and he wasn't sure he was supposed to be here anyway. But at this rate, it would take weeks to get to the dark heart of the castle where the prize lay. Being a passable ventriloquist, he threw his voice in the direction of the small child, whom he expected to be the person everyone else was most likely to obey, given the nature of people he had observed to indulge their children's every whim without question.

"Fer Gawd's sake gerron with it!"

 

[The Ace]

No problem, HB, marches forward to encounter a giant spider,

"Freda ? What're you doing here ?"

 

[Grimward]

In their preoccupation with the chosen one, the request for grace (which, of course, had already been found in the Tolkien Trivia thread), reaching the castle or, indeed, the prize which may or may not lie centrally within, no one had noticed the disappearance of the flaming arrow. Actually, had they turned and looked behind, they would have seen it, stationary, over the beginning of the towpath.....

Back at the towpath, a thousand feet aloft, a strange iridescence surrounds the fiery one. Voices whisper from within the glittering cage...."Shall we just sit here and allow the pilgrimage to enter the keep, uncontested?" Others reply, "Patience, for the time is not yet come that we shall test their faith and courage. Those challenges lie within." Still others retort, "And what shall we do with this one? For the fire he burns with is not quenched by ordinary means....."

Hearing this, the arrow reshapes into a ball and determines to test his "cage".....

Back at the gate, the enormous spider looks past the company at menacing dark figures advancing quickly up the sides of the moat and makes a decision. Strands of translucent web knife thru the air and attach to each of the company. The spider, with all her might, leaps backwards, dragging the company in through the gate just as the portcullis crashes down with a concussive thud. The dark figures, having been foiled by as yet unseen purposes of the castle's occupants, take up position outside the portcullis.....

No one notices the small mechanical spiders hiding in the shadows above the gate.....