Previous Chapter Valus' Dictum The sound of log landing upon log methodically, breaks the silence as dusky wood is thrown on a slowly growing stack. Taking a break from stacking the wood, Cindron stands upright and then bends backwards, trying to pop and loosen his back from the days of hard, mindless harvesting. Blinking sweat out of his eyes, he looks up towards the hot sun, and tries to wipe away the sweat and swamp-grime from his face with the last dry spot on his forearm. Inhaling/exhaling deeply Cin reaches for and drinks from his water skin before allowing his mind to wander off in thoughts again. While it was a profound and overwhelming relief to have finally found the one the goddess had sent him to seek it created a thousand more questions. After Siela and her companions left Khal Cindron headed to the Swamps of Rumug in Thestra. While it was not the safest of locations, he knew the area well and harvested dusky wood in the more remote parts of the swamps frequently. However, it was not the need for timber that had him standing, stacking logs next to the riftstone; it was the need to avoid the rest of the world for a moment and to think. He had to try and untangle the thoughts and emotions roaring through his head. Even now, after three days of harvesting he still was trying to come to terms with his thoughts and all the events in the his past that had brought him here. The journey started just over a year ago while he was an officer for a guild called the Rift Runners. The guild was a small group of very close friends and allies. One member in particular Jena, a young disciple had captured his heart completely. His personal life before her was one of pain and sorrow and for a brief time, with Jena everything seemed right at last. For months they could not be separated, you would have been hard pressed to find one without the other... until the letter. Jena's talent and devotion as a disciple drew the attention of the very same academy she had left and now they wanted her to return and instruct. It was an honor she felt she could not refuse and within days of receiving the letter, she was gone. As the weeks passed the emptiness inside Cindron threatened to consume him. In an effort to avoid the hurt he poured himself into his crafting. Weeks turned into months. The sight of Cindron working mindlessly at the crafting table from sun up to sun down became the common sight for any who passed by. Stone was worked and shaped over and over in an attempt to avoid the hard, cold weight in his chest, yet each night he would collapse in his bed from exhaustion and it would be there waiting to haunt and torment him again. There was no escape from the feeling at the crafting table but something held him there and he could not identify it, only that he was waiting. It did not make sense, only that there was..something..else coming but he had no idea what. In a day not unlike any of the others prior Cindron was shaping stone mindlessly and numbly working when a voice filled the air. The voice, a woman's, sent chills up his spine, he knew it well. "Its time for you to leave," She said. Cindron spun quickly around, but as expected, there was no one to be seen. Mind reeling, heart beating rapidly in his chest he fought to try to convince himself this was not happening hoping to deny her presence turned back to his work. If this was real everything was about to change and the thought brought many conflicting emotions. A part of him felt he was ready but another was fighting to hang onto the past yet. The voice came again, more insistent. "You must go," She said. Emotions held back so long spilled out, face flushing with determination and anger, Cindron responded without looking up, "Not without Jena." "It is time, Cindron," the woman's voice said, with a growing firmness. Emotions continued to run unabated through him, dropping his tools and clutching the table with both hands he couldn't look up from it. This was real and he knew in his heart it WAS time but letting go was tearing him in half. Anger over ruled all emotions and Cindron suddenly swept all the objects from his crafting table and spun shouting "NO!!" The impact was profound. Cindron was lifted by an invisible force and flung through the air into a large oak tree behind him. The air was knocked from his lungs and he could feel/hear several ribs break, the pain blinding him. Two thoughts immediately came to mind as Cindron lay at the foot of the tree, leaves fluttering down around him, eyes and teeth clenched, trying to catch his breath. One, never say "no" to the Goddess, and two, it was time for him to go. As he lay on the ground, vision slowly returning, the words and dictum of the Goddess Valus, the deity he served as a Guardian and Cleric, came to him, ringing in his ears and echoing in his mind. "Jena gave you back your life and you, hers. She travels another path, and so now do you. Search for the one who wears a thousand scars on body and soul, who caries runes of power in her blood and who travels my paths in darkness and light." Cindron rose in pain, listening for where to start, who she was, a name, anything, but there was only the sound of the wind in the trees and his own labored breathing. Carefully he cast a healing spell to mend his broken ribs. He felt the pull of the spell and the familiar drain of power of casting but he did not feel it work. Broken ribs still just as broken as before, Cindron groaned - it seemed the goddess was going to make him live with the pain for awhile as a reminder of this lesson. The Goddess of Justice, Law and Punishment could be many things, but merciful for no reason was not one of them. The method of today's lesson was to be a direct and painful one it seems. Cindron coughed up a small amount of blood, tempted fate one more time and spoke in the hope she might guide her servant further: "Where do I find her?" There was no answer, as he had expected, but it had been worth a try. Cindron slowly made his way home, limping and holding his side with the broken ribs, to pack his things for a journey to only the Goddess knew where to find only the Goddess knew who. Left laying in the grass with all his other items that he threw off the table was a small detailed stone sculpture of a High Elf female. Cindron snapped back to reality, the hair on his arms standing on end as the air crackled energy as the rift way came to life, someone was about to arrive. As the light flared and subsided, a tiny female gnome, dressed head to toe in varying shades of purple materialized and softly landed on the ground next to the rift stone on an indigo... chicken? No, not a chicken, a cockatrice - no chicken on Telon had a beak and talons like that. Cindron smiled at the curiosity of the pair, and on a whim that he couldn't explain, decided to walk over and introduce himself to the unusual diminutive lady. Cindron couldn't help laughing softly at himself and grinning as he begin to close the short distance between his wood pile and the eclectic little gnome. Here he was, having wandered for over a year since losing Jena, only to end up hiding in a swamp as he tried to figure out just what to do about this Siela woman, and now he was about to say hello to a purple-robed gnome on an indigo chicken on a whim! Before Cindron could reach the gnomish lady however, the rift again flared brilliantly to life, and the air audibly crackled with rift magic, as forms of all shapes, sizes and races materialized in front of the rift stone. A goblin shaman with a phoenix familiar appeared and made a bee-line for the merchant nearby who rented out his flying mounts to those in need of speed and wanting to avoid much of the dangers in the swamp. The rift became blinding as more spilled through a female Halfling Bard, carrying a lute in one hand and a wicked dagger in the other followed by a Vulmane his half wolf half man features leaving no doubt to his race. His clothing and gear suggested he was a Druid, and while he was nearly three times her size, it was very easy to see he was watching the little Halfling bard with both loving and protective eyes. A Thestran human sorceress in some rather revealing armor followed behind. As soon as she touched ground she summoned forth an armored griffon and immediately took to the air and flew onwards to the south. More armored figures materialized, one after another, barely hitting the ground before heading south in a hurry. Cindron blinked to clear his vision of stars and lights from the rift stone flaring to life in such quick succession, and took several precautionary steps back to avoid being trampled by the stampede of seemingly endless adventurers and flying mounts. On his second step backwards, his right foot came upon a lone log which immediately shot out from under him. Both arms began to wave as he stumbled back rapidly working hard to regain his balance and avoid crashing to the ground and avoid being stepped on by either adventurer or griffon... or large chicken. Successful in keeping to his feet Cindron looked up in time and was surprised to see the same Wood Elf that was with Siela in Khal. Stunned, Cindron tried to collect his thoughts, as the solitude of the swamp had now turned into utter chaos all about him. As Cindron watched the wood elf fly off, the rift stone behind him crackled and flashed again. As he turned he immediately recognized the paladin from Khal, already on his griffon as he charged forward clearly intending to take flight, and clearly in a direct path towards him. Cindron did not miss the irony of having to dodge the holy warrior a second time but was too busy at the moment to laugh as he was trying to avoid the collision as he almost leapt/stumbled backwards and it was very unclear to him if the griffon would find the air or him first. Just as it appeared Cindron was able to back away fast enough his feet, then legs found the stack of wood, temporarily forgotten in the rush of humanity all about him. With all the grace of a fish out of water, Cindron flipped backwards over or more accurately over and through, crashing to the ground and sending timber bouncing off in all directions. As he rolled over he watched from his back as the paladin flew overhead. From the other side of the now partially ruined stack of wood the rift crackled yet again. Without thinking or knowing why, he quickly spun up onto one knee, scanning the sky above him. A black griffon with a woman, a flash of deep red hair..it was Siela. Never looking away from her, Cindron watched as silence finally claimed the area about him again and she slowly faded away into the distance. With a deep sigh he began to brush and pull grass, dirt and bark that seemed to have clung to his entire body. While absorbed in pulling bits of bark out of his hair and wiping the sweat-muddied dirt streaks off of his face, Cindron heard then felt a healing spell wash over him, healing the cuts and scrapes from the fall. Quickly turning to find the source of the magic Cindron came face to face with a Kojani man sitting atop a Griffon looking down at him with a slight smile on his face. At first glance Cindron would have said the man was a monk, dressed in leather armor and carrying a bladestaff and fist wraps, but the healing spell identified him as a Disciple, one who is both martial artist and healer. As Cindron gave a bow and began to thank the Disciple for his kindness, the Kojani took to the air following those he assumed to be his compatriots. As the Disciple vanished in the same direction as all the others Cindron shook his head, looked higher up to the sky, gave a half smile and spoke out to the now deserted rift area: "Yes Valus I understand...and thank you for letting me flip over a wood pile this time and not bouncing me off a tree." With a long, tired exhale, Cindron laughed softly then grew serious as he turned back to his woodpile and began putting it back in order. He knew without knowing, he needed to return to Khal. No more holding, calculating, thinking, it was time for answers. Cindron looked at the wood, turned and walked to the merchant who was counting all the money he had just made. Cindron picked up the gear he had set next to the griffon's stable, looked at the merchant and then pointed to the wood and simply said "It is all yours sir" and promptly walked into the rift and flashing out of site. Special Thanks to Jeinyus for the fantastic artwork. To see more of the ladies work go to http://www.renderosity.com/mod/gallery/browse.php?user_id=630395