Sally The Sorceress

    Two figures stand in shadows, darkness embedded upon stone walls ancient when ancient was young. Two women, shapely silhouettes, long in hair and large in breasts; heeled boots clack upon the stone, each step echoing a complaint from eternity’s silence for disturbing its endless rest towards oblivion. Capes across the floor fill the air dust and motion, as though the very stillness were panicking at their intrusion into its abode. The two figures moves their hands, a graceful motion that slices through the air like the start of a dance that is not finished towards and way from the center between them. Lines glow upon the wall before them, a delightfully light shade of green and a forsaken shade of red as the door opens; its sound is not one of welcome, screaming for intruders to be gone, be gone from this place of nothing and stillness.

   They enter the room of nothing; nothing but a single slab, like a bed for the damned in the center with lines carved through the floor. This place reeks of arcane magic and dark rituals, any normal mortal would be filled with a sense of foreboding they could not explain, the very air screeching into their minds to run, to flee, to never look back.

  The silence is broken, a voice, one of the women turns to the other, her voice, her voice reverberates upon the walls, the floor, the very air seems frightened by her voice. It would seem nothing special, a woman’s voice, yet the shadows become lighter, the feel of unease that would penetrate the mind of a mortal clinches in terror at the sound and fades into the masonry. What she says is nothing special, “Are you sure?”

  The other, who in the clinging darkness that remains could be mistaken for a shadow of the one that spoke simple nods her head and whispers, “yes,” this one word has a gentleness to it, impossible kindness that eases the terror of the stillness, long buried seeds held back from growth by ancient sorcery are given new life as the vibrations carried on wings of purity permeate the core of life, all from a simple word.

   The one whose words are filled with life and love steps to the alter and lies upon it, her body engulfed in a green glow like a cocoon, obscuring her form from the space around her, yet the light does not extend to the shadows that cling to the walls still. The other woman walks from the room, the doors closing behind her by her will, obedient despite their complaints to move once again so soon.

  Words of terrifying power are spoken softly, parting from ruby lips, “May any who would try to do you harm, suffer my wrath.”


  A single tear drops from an eye of glowing azure, carried from the face as a blue jewel that flutters as a seed in the wind falling to the floor. It rips through masonry, stone, and darkness, down to the depths, there a great rumble shakes the earth. Shadows not of this world or any other, blacker than black, deeper than void, oblivious to oblivion they glow with anti-light, swallowing the woman.

   ******

   “There she is,” says the muscular adventurer, broadsword upon his back like a bad-ass, as he and his thinner yet so similar in common adventurer attire, shaggy hair, five-o-clock shadow, and sword.

  These two are no slouches to adventure, or rather tomb robbing and monster fighting. Both are very experienced fighters, braving the Forest of Shadow Beasts. It is a routine job for adventurers to go a short distance into the forest to fight off the un-natural demons that lurk there and threaten nearby towns, especially this time of year when their numbers grow, the whirl pools of darkness from which they emerge appearing in greater numbers. However they are not here for that, no, like so many before them they have heard of the treasures of the forest, as with other places these monsters that vanish in azure flames when slain appear so do as well treasure chests filled with mystic items, gold, jewels, and powerful weapons; no doubt like the Shadow Beasts themselves remnants from the age of Sorcery when the world was ruled by Wizards.

  It is another remnant of this long gone age that draws these two to this particular location; for there is no one who does not know of the most forsaken, and downright forbidden by the kingdoms on the other side of the forest, opposite the direction from whence they came, location in all the forest. At the center is a ruin, that has been a ruin in the same state for as long as anyone could remember, and any painting or sketch has ever depicted by those who have gazed upon it, seeable granted from the castle of Arden in the western mountains. It is said that the Arden guard have an ancient order where three men in intervening shifts must watch the ruin at all time from telescopes. Arden has appointed seven in different shifts to ease the boredom, yet the law remains, although no one remembers what they are looking for, and the Arden army may not enter the forest per the their law and a treaty with a valley kingdom that lies between them and the forest, over whom they would have to march to reach it.

  The ruin is not unlike a castle, although larger than any built by modern man, yet it is said one only sees the top of the castle for the rest it is said is beneath the waves. The ruin would appear to have a moat, yet as these two are finding while studying it with their tiny telescopes from their hidden vantage point, that indeed the water does not reflect the ruin totally, it hides more of it, it is an impossible tower built into a pit that is filled with water. It is said that the ruin is filled with traps and terrible monsters that make everything in the forest look like mice by comparison. Yet one would not think it a foreboding place today, in fact there has been no monster activity in the forest today. Despite the time of year, despite its fearsome reputation, these two men have not had a single battle this day since entering the forest. The birds are chirping, the wind carries an oddly sweet scent like flowers, leading a trail one may imagine back to the ruins.

   The ruin has one long bridge leading to gates so wide a dragon could waltz through them. They approach, swords at the ready for they had heard in Arden that strange monsters, like dragons with tentacles had been spotted from time to time swimming in this lake. Yet nothing, only gentle waves carried by the breeze. The larger man kneels down, the water is so clear that one can see clear to the bottom, easily a hundred feet, not nearly as deep as the legends would claim, yet the ruin does extend to the bottom, only far more solid than the part above water; as though someone really had built the structure and then filled in a deep moat around it. Nothing moves in this water, not even fish. He scoops up a palm full and sniffs it, a confused look on his face.

  “What is it Arlen,” says the thinner man, “poison?”

  Arlen takes a drop on his finger and tastes it, “sea water…only saltier” he says, “and…did you just say my name Thebe?”

  “Yeah…” says Thebe confused, “that’s…weird..heh, by the way you just said mine, man, its not like anyone else is here.”

  Arlen *shrugs* it off, they find the gate unlocked. Inside they find a garden, flowers in bloom, tall grasses, and fruit bearing trees.

  “It’s a castle alright,” says Arlen taking a large berry like fruit and biting into its honey like flesh, “might be treasure inside and…was that there before?”

  He points up, a massive tree is growing out of the top of the ruin.

 “How could we miss that?” asks Thebe, “and…wasn’t the courtyard all stone according to the Arden guard?”

  Arlen throws down the berry and spits out as much as he can, “sorcery, shit.”

  “A…spell of concealment,” says Thebe repeating something he had been told before.

 Arlen looks alarmed and looks back the way they came through the open gate, seeing a ripple there and movement in the water, shadows of something large moving beneath the bridge.

  “We got lucky,” says Arlen taking out his sword, “this might not be as much a ruin as we were told.”

 Thebe *gulps* and takes out his sword as well.

    ******

   “Doesn’t really live up to the legends,” says Arlen while pulling a lever that lines up a stone staircase.

  “I don’t know,” says Thebe, “it’s all magical and stuff…”

  “No monsters though,” says Arlen,

  “you want monsters?” asks Thebe

 “and no treasure,” says Arlen.

 “probably hidden someplace deep,” says Thebe

 Arlen pulls out the paper he’s been writing on since they entered the ruin, “according to the map I’ve been making we’ve explored all the bottom floors, found rooms that should have treasure in them, dungeons, and all that’s left are the rooms upstairs near that big tree,”

  “Which has to be where the real treasure is,” says Thebe, “how much you want to bet one of them tricky sorcerer types built this whole place just to get guys like us to back down while some fancy super magical item is hidden up there; probably what’s making that tree so big.”

  “Let’s hope so,” says Arlen, “because so far it looks like this ruin was just abandoned and they left a concealment spell going.”

    ******

    Marble, Sandstone, blocks of indeterminate source, so few that could be traced to any local quarry, carried here in ancient times by unknown means that the modern residents who live on the outskirts of the forest would only be able to guess at. The two men in search of gold and glory, a warrior and a thief had found their way into the structure of olden time. Luck carried them past the hidden horrors of the brine crystal waves, carried them through the depths whose traps and monsters have been mysteriously silenced. They stepped not knowing over pits of spikes filled with flesh eating slimes; past statues that only a day before would have come to life to feast on their faces, hindered only by puzzles to open doors and pathways; glittering gold that was there only to lure fools into the maws of a mimic have also vanished; all manner of horror and awaiting deaths banished by a spell awaiting this very moment.

    To the depths up the towers the two men did travel, searching for treasures not to be found, reclaimed by an unknown hand of magic. They found a passage at the end, all passages seemed designed to turn the travelers around till they came to this one, the final one, a passage whose walls are lines by the roots of a great tree, forming archways under which the travelers walked. In the flickering lights that danced from magic gems embedded in the walls, which could not be pried out as the stone of this passage yields not to knives or picks, breaking the theif’s tools at any attempt.

  Looking back down the passage upon reaching a large double door the thief named Thebe could not help but shudder for the archway roots leave the impression of the ribs of a great serpent as though they had been swallowed by an unseen horror and were preparing to enter the stomach. With a mighty heave the warrior Arlen pries the doors open, stepping back as green and red lines illuminate the surfaces, opening of their own accord.

  Arlen and Thebe are stunned silent by the sight within, the circular room has lines filled with glowing water upon the floor, roots surround the center of the room like a great bundle. No sooner do they enter than the room is illuminated by a bright light coming from the water, the roots, those inside the room and down the hall, vanish in green sparks, like fairy lights. Had the two men been able to see outside they would have seen the great tree vanish as well, erupting in green sparks from the bottom to the top. As it has happened they have entered the room at the precise moment, the sun beams down the hole where the tree was penetrated the stone; illuminating the face of a woman sleeping on an alter that had been obscured by the root bundle. She is a beauty to behold, naked and soft, toned yet full in the chest, her delicate flesh sparkling against the invading light, her green hair cascading beneath her light a blanket of sea grass.

   Her eyes flicker in the light, she holds her hand up to block the light from her eyes.

  “Miss,” says Thebe breaking the silence.

 Her eyes shoot open and she sits straight up turning towards them, her eyes filled with confusion and fear.

  “How…” just as Thebe speaks the woman covers her chest with her arm, suddenly aware of her nakedness.


  “Don’t look at me!” she yells out, green flames erupt over her body, parting to reveal clothing upon her body. A green top with gold trim that is more a bra than armor, green panties barely covered by a green sash with gold trim between her legs, a green cape also with a gold trim upon her back, the colors of her clothes a shade lighter than that of her hair, save for the top and panties which are a shade darker. She looks at herself, confused, looks around, and at the two men.

  “A sorceress,” whispers Arlen as he steps forward, “lady, how’d…”

  “Leave me alone!” shouts the woman, her voice filled with fear; her arms outstretched a wind erupts from them blasting the two men against the wall on either side of the door.

  Terror filling her heart the woman flees, as she runs green socks, green shoes with a gold trim, appear on her feet. Her path is direct, straight out of the ruin, stopping in the garden, where an apple falls into her hands. Looking at it in bewilderment she stops to catch her breath.

   She looks around and says, “where am I?”

  Her eyes furrow as a deeper trouble comes over her, “Who am I?”

 *Sally*

 A whisper in her mind.

  She looks around, knowing no-one spoke.

 “My name,” she says, “is Sally?”

 She takes a bite of the apple and thinks, “Okay…my name is Sally then; but…what is going on? How’d I get here? Why am I here? Where…was I before and…”

  She looks at her hands remembering the room a moment before and how clothes appeared on her body, “how’d I do that?”

  She steps out the front gate, seeing the woods before her she out onto the bridge. The ground rumbles, the water spins and decreases in volume, Sally wishes to run yet something, something in her own mind assures her she is in no danger. The densely packed up rises into the air and spins above her condenses into a tiny point the terrifying shadows within condensing as well. A tiny blue jewel shaped like a teardrop floats down before her face. She places her hands and it falls, splashing as a tiny teardrop upon her palms. She knows not why but her own cheeks are wet as well, a feeling of love and comforting overtaking her. She walks now, away from the ruins, across the bridge and into the woods.

    ******

   Arlen and Thebe are winded by the sorceress but not knocked out. The two men head out, finding leaving a different task than entering, while the path has been made clear enemies have appeared, Shadow Imps, Giant Ball Bats, Vine Creepers, and more; nothing they can’t handle however. The discovery on the way out of the ruin however is one most alarming as just before reaching the courtyard the Red Eyed Shadow that had been attacking them fled suddenly, sensing a presence the monster panicked, any curiosity over this given way to the ground trembling beneath their feet.

  “By the goddess,” says Thebe as the two men stand at the bridge.

 Arlen crosses and finds tracks in the soil, “she went this way,” he says.

 “Uhm,” says Thebe scratching the back of his head, “Are we really going to follow her? I mean that big tree vanished when she showed up, the ruin was suddenly filled with monsters, and that moat is gone for some reason…”

  “She’s the treasure,” says Arlen, “we have…”

  A massive wind rips through the forest, “woah,” says both men at once.

    ******

    The air reeks of magic, Sally can smell it, like a burning incense of unknown manufacture, something that offends her nose. She holds her hand up and *coughs*, something else slips out, a spell, a spark that ignites the spell. She can feel it, the smoke burned back to its source. No sooner does she do this than something manifests from the shadows of the brush; a creature not unlike a wolf with the spines of a dragon and the eyes of a snake. A second beast approaches, and a third. A spark ignites in her eyes, a memory of something buried within. In her primal fear backing away from the snarling beasts she holds out her hand, a voice inside chanting words she does not know and she says aloud, “Combust”.

  She leaps back as the leader of the pack bursts into flames, flames so intense that the other beasts flee in a panic. The flames are so quick and hot that only the beast and the ground beneath it is scorched, swallowing up any other flames that may have spread. What is left is ash with bits of bone, mostly the spine, legs, and skull. Sally puts her fingers over her mouth, tears rolling down her cheeks as she looks at the grotesque sight, she runs, runs without directions. Some winged creatures resembling eyeballs covered in spikes and batwings appear and shriek at her.

  “Get back!” she shouts conjuring up a massive wind that sends the beasts flying and rips through the trees. Nearby towns find their thatched roofs being blown apart, walls shaken, and all manner of cloth and fiber being blown about.

    ******

   -several weeks later-

   The adventurer guilds are in a ruckus, as are the mercenary guilds, around the forest the prize for the capture of a threat in the forest keeps going up. The Arden guards reported that one moment the ruin and lake at the center of the forest were as usual and in the blink of an eye the lake water was gone and a lush garden was in the ruins’ courtyard. Thanks to the story of the warrior Arlen and the thief Thebe the guilds and kingdoms were quick to conclude that this had to do with a growing concern in the forest, and the fact that during that day not a treasure chest or monster was to be found. Yes, the kingdoms were posting that a “Rogue Sorceress” had taken up residence in the forest.

   Those who would spot her reported that she would lash out at anyone who approached her, entangling them with vines, blasting them with wind, conjuring up sweet scents and illusions while vanishing like a ghost. They reported spying on her making fruit grow and ripen on the trees, even against their nature and species; including fruits unlike anything anyone had ever seen before. They fear the nights as during such storm clouds form over the forest now, a storm fog obscuring parts of it; the fact this is likely where the sorceress is sleeping not lost on any adventurer; but piercing such a defense is another matter. Little do they know that in sleep the Sorceress called Sally dreams of spells, her own reflection teaching her; although the reflection is distorted, a shadowy thing in darkness with hair as red as blood.

     ******

    A crowd of barbarians, dwarfs, the odd orc and even a lizard man or two are gathered around the adventurer guild message board, in bewilderment at the news and the new price on the “Forest Witch”.

  “I hear,” hisses a lizard man, “the witch has taken to stealing from the town of Ogden.”

  “Heard she sent Gorlock of the Northern Mountain packing,” says an Orc.

  “Such commotion over one girl,” says a woman stepping into the guild office.

 The men turn to see a very strange sight, the woman is not tall by any measure, her hair is commonly colored, her body type while attractive not exaggerated; however her attire is rather strange a blue and white themed witch’s costume with a knee length and stiff armor like skirt, gloves, a pointed blue witch’s hat; and she has flung over her shoulder a sword the size of a blow and shaped like a butcher knife; and to top it off the blade is blue with a white edge.

   She walks up to the board, the men stepping out of the way of her giant sword she is so casually carrying about her.

  “two hundred million gold, combined reward of Ogden, Arden, Slowden, and Gordon,” she reads the poster aloud, “for the capture of the Forest Witch; reward only given if brought in alive for questioning. Slowden offering a ten thousand gold reward if body brought in deceased.”

  “So,” says the girl, “no one’s been able to find this witch?”

  “finding hers not the problem,” says a barbarian, “each night she makes a storm cloud and brings it down to the ground to hide in. Makes it easy to locate her, problem is the witch has control over the forest, she will send ghosts to haunt you and lead you in circles.”

   “It doesn’t help,” hisses a lizard man, “that thisss foressst wass already fffillled with monsters, to sssstart with.”

   The girl *shrugs* and walks over to the guild window, “easy money, give me the specifics of the case.”

  The men are silent as the window clerk just hands her the assignment after she shows her guild badge.

  “What you do that for?” asks an Orc, “that job too high now, just give to one girl, no team.”

  The window clerk *smirks*, “That was Ruby the Spell Warrior from the Spirit Sword guild. The woman who took down Ice Star the dragon single handedly.”

  “That was her?” asks a barbarian listening in, “I thought she’d be taller and,” he holds his hands over his chest as if filling up giant boobs, “bigger, hey I mean don’t all women with magic make themselves beautiful?”

  “yeah,” scoffs the dwarf, “and I suppose all male wizards make themselves handsome.”

  The barbarian raises an eyebrow, the dwarf is short with a full beard, but he heard about dwarf women, so not sure if this is a feminist man…or…a woman.

     ******

    She swings her sword with all the ease of one swinging a twig, the wind it kicks up and the damage it does easily slicing through the monsters that vanish in blue flames telling the truth of the blade’s solidness and Ruby’s strength. It is not the sorceress she seeks however, no she has gone to the ruins, examining them with the eyes of a sorceress.

  In the chamber where Sally had been found by the two before Ruby looks around and speaks, “So, this is a Transverse Temple…why would someone teleport here and then wander around the woods robbing towns. If she’s in hiding you’d think she’d lay low, or flee the area around the temple.”

  She stands over the bed like slab, “Although…its said these can transport people over space, time, and across dimensions…I wander which or…perhaps which combination it is…make one little mistake and this could screw with you.”

    ******

    “This way men!” shouts a brawny soldier to his three companions.

  Vines erupt from the ground entangling one of the men.

  “Damned devil!” shouts the captain slicing at the vines.

 “Leave me alone!” comes the voice of Sally carried in the wind.

 The third man, a sorcerer in brown robes and long black hair, a rather effeminate man holds out a medallion, “Great Spirits that reside in the air, disperse the illusions!”

  A blue light overtakes the area, and Sally is standing not far off.

 The two swordsmen are about to come down on her, red sparks dance across Sally’s lips as her hands make a strange gesture, red sparks between them and.



 Both sides are taken back as the great blue blade flies down between them and spins like a wheel.

  “Be glad,” says Ruby appearing from the air, grabbing the handle of her blade as it spins and lunging it over her shoulder, “she was about to kill all three of you.”

  Ruby looks behind her at Sally, “I’m not your enemy, I just want to talk to you, I bet these brutes didn’t even have the decency to announce their names first huh?”

  “Why you,” says the captain.

  “Wait,” says the sorcerer, “that is Ruby of the Spirit Sword guild, a Spell Warrior.”

   Sally doesn’t move, looking between the two.

  “By the goddess,” says Ruby, “are you men blind? Just look at her, she’s terrified.”

 They hadn’t noticed her expression, her red cheeks, eyes filled with tears, or her trembling body. They had only seen her attire and witnessed her powers.

  “Its okay,” says Ruby, “I’m Ruby, so how’d you end up in the Transverse Temple?”

  “Transverse temple,” whispers the sorcerer, “so that’s what’s happening here.”
“I…I don’t know,” says Sally, “I…I just…woke up, and these men, and this animal, and these people.”

  She falls to her knees sobbing, “I don’t know what’s happening, where I am, how I got here,”

  “Okay,” says Ruby pinning her sword into the ground and leaning down beside her, “lets start slow, do you know your name?”

  “Sally, I think my name is Sally.”

  “Where are you from?” asks Ruby

  “I…I don’t know,” answers Sally.

  “How could she not know? You expect us to believe this witch has amnesia.”

  “A transverse temple,” says the sorcerer, “forbidden magic from the ancient kingdoms.”

  “Look at her lips,” says Ruby, “when she speaks.”

  “What?” asks Sally.

 “You may not know it,” says Ruby, “but you’re using a translation spell. You definitely aren’t from around here, without your memory no telling how far away you came from.”

  “I…I don’t like it here,” says Sally.

  “Well,” says Ruby, “if you come with me, sort out a few things, I can take you someplace better.”

  Ruby thinks to herself, “the reward will cover any costs, and with my word they’ll let her go, besides locking up a sorceress with amnesia who remembers how to cast spells but not how dangerous they are isn’t someone you want locked up in any prison.

    “Now hold on a minute,” says the captain as Ruby leads Sally away, “what about us,”

  Ruby produces a sheet of paper and magically inscribes words upon it, handing it to the sorcerer.

  As Ruby and Sally walk about the Sorcerer falls to his knees.

  “What the hell,” says the swordsma.

  “Witches and sorcerers are weird,” says the captain, “yo Katani what’d she say on that scrap?”

  “We were about to die,” says Katani in disbelief.

  “What?” asks the captain.

 Katani crunches the paper in his hands, igniting it with blue flames.

 “What…well, what’d it say?” asks the captain.

  “Sorry,” says Katani, “even when asked by a captain of the Arden kingdom I cannot answer that question. It is an issue of the Wizard’s Guilds.”


  Katani thinks to himself remembering the red sparks and gestures, damning himself for not realizing what he was looking at, as he had never seen it done before, “Chaos Blast…was she really about to use that forbidden spell? Us…the forest…and the nearby town could have been….dear goddess.”

    ******

   -some days later-

   “Come on Sally,” says Ruby leading the girl now dressed in plainer clothes to the air ship dock.

  Sally stops, looking at the sight before her. A boat, like any normal sail boat, floating in the air above what looks to be a wide river made of clouds.

  “The Cloud Stream,” says Ruby, “it’s one of the wonders left behind by the Kingdoms of Sorcery. All over this country there are these roads basically, they react to special stones embedded in hauls to make the ships levitate and carry them to different destinations. Long ago they connected various large kingdoms. Unfortunately they also divide up the land and crossing over them is difficult without the stones, especially as below them is the Red Catacombs, kind of like sewers only with red water and numerous tunnels and very little light. There are even people down there from what I hear; refugees from the world, but you can’t believe everything you hear. Thanks to how hard they are to cross people make a fortune who have the stones as ferries.”

   “So we’re going to meet the people who can tell me who I am?”

  “yeah,” says Ruby as they board, “I hope so, but first I have a present for you.”

   ******

   The ferry carries them up hills and over a valley, traveling at a high speed. The ferry comes to a stop at a drab looking place, a fair of some sort with a few basic rides and attractions, all powered by golem engines.

  “Fun Fun land,” says Ruby, “a great place to relax and get some of that stress out of your system before meeting our contact.”

  Sally can’t put her finger on it, or understand why, but this place seems both out of place and yet also very drab, her mind flashes an overlap with more color and lights. She isn’t sure why Ruby seems to be having fun here. After a few slow spinning rides and some questionable food, Sally refusing to eat anything but some sticky fruit flavored sugar fluffed up in a ball, she finds herself in a hall of mirrors.

  *sister*

  The strange voice draws her attention to a mirror, it is the dark reflection in her dreams.

  “Who…who are you?” asks Sally

 *I am your sister* speaks the dark doppelganger, *I have re-taught you magic, I have watched you this entire time. You do not seem to be having fun, this is not going as we thought it would.*

  “What?” asks Sally backing away, something in the voice sounds threatening.

 *No hero to awaken you, no grand quest, only pain, suffering, and confusion*

  The entity holds out its hand, penetrating the mirror as a blackness.

 Sally doesn’t know why but she steps forward, reaching her hand out, touching the finger tips of darkness.

  “Sally,” calls Ruby down the hall, “you coming? Its time!”

  Sally turns and heads towards the exit, un-aware that the dark entity is pulled by her hand, by her shadow into her world, flowing as a mist behind her that vanishes before anyone could see it.

     ******

    Next to the Cloud Stream there is a patch of dirt, farming, a few two story houses. This is not a village, but rather a way station owned by the Order of the Leaf. It is here that Ruby has taken Sally. The way station manager is an ordinary man, thin, plain, short hair, nothing special, although a bit sunken in his cheeks for his age. He examines the projected image Ruby produces of the outfit Sally had worn before.

  “These are the colors of our order,” says the man, “so you are a lost member of the Order of the Leaf then? Don’t worry we can recover your lost memories.”

  Sally can sense unease, an untrusting feeling behind the man’s forced smile; yet Ruby leaves her here.

  “Can’t I go with you?” asks Sally knowing the answer yet hoping for another as Ruby leaves.

  “Sorry kid,” says Ruby, “But where I go, a low class sorceress like you would only get herself killed.”

  Ruby thinks as the boat leaves, “even with your talents you’d only fall before the Devil’s blade. Maybe when you get your memories back kid our paths will cross again.”

    ******

   In the office the man’s demeanor changes, “So you thought you could flee from the Order of the Leaf huh?”

  “What?” says Sally, “Do…do you know who I am?”

  “I don’t have to,” says the man with an ugly smile, “Your summoned battle garments, a translation spell, amnesia spell, and using the forbidden Transverse Temples, one that even we didn’t know was a Transverse Temple…you are a runaway alright, come from some very far away country, hoping we wouldn’t find you, well your colors give you away child.”

  He stands, “and all I have to do is remove the translation spell and we’ll know exactly where you came from.”

  He chants a few words and Sally feels a tinge in her throat.

  “Speak,” demands the man.

 Sally is silent.

 “I said speak!” shouts the man.

 Sally’s lips move, but words do not come, no, a green aurora comes over the room, the plant upon the desk grows thick, its roots shattering the pot and digging into the desk, the walls and floor buckle.

  “Stop, stop it right now!” screams the man.

  Sally falls silent, and touches her own throat, a light blue light from her finger tips.


 “Did you just put the spell back?” asks the man shaking his head, “never mind, go to your room. Don’t try to escape, now that I’ve seen you I can track you anywhere you could run to.”

  As Sally stands the man says, “I don’t know who you really are, but that was the holy language, forbidden and unspeakable to all but the priestesses. You are not to speak it again…to think you are speaking it and using a translation spell to hide its power…such blasphemy is unforgivable!”

  He chants some unknown words and traces a purple light in the air with his finger, Sally feels a tightening of her throat, and her voice is gone.

  “You will not speak,” says the man, “not ever again, not another spell, not another word that blasphemes great Gaia. Now go, get out of my sight.”

  Sally leaves the room, walking down to the room she was shown to be hers, falls to bed and cries.

  Back in the room the man stands as the image of an old man with a long white beard wearing white robes with a green cloak with gold trim appears in the center of the room.

  “A bit harsh,” says the old man.

  “My Lord, grand master,” says the man, “But this woman is clearly a traitor of our order and…”

  “Look around you,” says the Grand Master, “Notice anything…askew.”

  The man looks around, the wood walls are buckled and…have twigs with leaves growing from them, the desk too, chairs, the plant on the desk is mutated into something new.

  “She not only caused growth,” says the Grand Master, “but also brought the dead wood to life, revival of the dead even for plants is no small task that could be done by just any priestess. You are to pay her a living wage, in three months time send her down the Cloud Stream towards Arden.”

    ******

   In the room Sally weeps, without a breeze the candle flame flickers, her shadow upon the wall doubles, the other standing as she is not standing. She stares at it through tear soaked eyes.

  *Sister* comes a voice in her head.

 “Y…you..” thinks Sally.

 *I am here* comes the voice, *Still watching, I will protect you, guide you, with what I can*

 “Who…who are you?” asks Sally in her head, not realizing she is projecting her thoughts.

  *I cannot say my name in this place* comes the voice, *Not like this, per the rules. Remember my name and speak it aloud…and I shall be there my sister*

  Red glowing eyes appear on the shadow just before it fades away. Sally is a bit dejected for even if she could remember this spirit’s name she could not speak it aloud.

    ******

   -So it was that Sally came to work at the Way Station. The manager told people she was a fool, a poor mute foolish girl come by their doorstep, who by his generosity has given a job. Despite this she has come to be loved by the local children and people who pass through along the cloud stream. Nearly three months time passes when the way station manager notices something odd, the girl Sally performing a healing spell upon a scrape on her arm, and later finds her levitating to clean a window. The time has come, he sends her on a simple task, retrieve some medicine and provisions from a town down the cloud stream just west of Arden.

   As she steps towards the boat she feels a strange impulse, and raises up her arms, invisible wings catch the cloud stream and she flies, flies above the cloud stream racing on the mana like a bird on the wind.

  “Shit,” exclaims a woman with blue hair who had been on the boat as she grabs a metal board and hops off the side gliding on the cloud stream.

  “Yo bitch!” yells the woman catching up with Sally.

  “I don’t know how you figured out our plan, but your showing off ends here girly!”

 “What?” thinks Sally being brought back to reality, the freedom of the feel of the wind and flight broken the woman transforming into a blue harpy and attacking her. Sally falls into the clouds, the sudden impulse of Mana hitting her throat, she screams, “Sister save me!”

  No sooner does she fall beneath the cloud layer than a shadow forms where she was, a sorceress, of black attire, a corset top and whose dark cape has a red inner lining, whose hair is as red as blood, and eyes as blue as sapphires appears from the shadow. She grabs the harpy by the leg and drags her beneath the cloud layer.

  The woman looks around, “Where is she? Where is my sister? You…help look for her!”

  The harpy is confused, “Um…aren’t you her?”

  The sorceress pays her no attention, sifting her arms through the red water looking for Sally. The harpy takes notice that the woman’s eyes glow and she moves away down the steel walled path. The harpy flees back up through the clouds, taking this distraction as her opportunity to escape.

  The Sorceress begins to blink in and out, starting to vanish. She spots Sally against a wall, scratched up and unconscious, pushed there by the current.

  “Sister,” says the sorceress holding Sally up, she puts her hand up to Sally.

  “Healing Light,”

  Sally’s wounds are quickly healed, as she starts to come to she barely sees the woman before she blinks out.

  Hearing the voice, *Time Stream is not synched up right*

  ******

  Sally has no idea how much time has passed in this place where the light never changes, this place of metal labyrinthine walls and red water.

  The splashing of boots draws Sally’s attention, around a corner she sees strange men wearing red heavy hazmat suit like uniforms and gas masks. She hides herself and begins to pray.

  One of the men holds a tracer to the water, “King, we are detecting magic this way.”

  “Good,” says one of the men, “I…”

  The one identified as the kind turns stiff, arms to his sides and legs together and levitates into the air, stopping and tilting slightly.

  “Majesty!” shouts a man.

 The sorceress in black appears, holding the man.

  “Paralysis touch,” says the woman, “Now you men, I have been watching you, following you as a silent spectre, you will help me find my sister or I will use your king as a cudgel!”

  “Release him!” shouts a man trying to jump her from behind.
 With all the ease of simple outstretching one arm, she holds the king in one and crushes the man against the wall, crushing his ribs and piercing his heart and lungs with his own bones.

  “Now do as I say,” commands the woman, “or else!”

  It is not long before Sally is found, exhausted from lack of food, water, and sunlight, her voice lost again during prayer. However the men drag her to the opposite side of a wide passage from the dark sorceress, holding her by her hair, knife to her throat.

  “Release the king,” says the man.

  Sally watches, watches with weary eyes at the scene before her.

 “For this affront,” says the dark sorceress, “you will now die.”

  “We have all the power here,” says the man, “We are the Red Guard, we…*gak*”

  Red blood drips on Sally’s body from a piercing through the man’s heart, a black vine covered in thorns with tiny red gem like eyes. He had not seen them, Sally sees them now, snaking and branching throughout the red water from the dark sorceress’ feet, in an instant they lash out, slashing, stabbing, strangling, and crushing the men, a horror unleashed beneath their feet.

  Sally sits there on her knees, watching the whole thing with half awake eyes.

     ******

    The last thing she remembers seeing from this moment is the dark sorceress smashing the king’s head against the wall like a bad club, dropping his stiff lifeless body into the water and running towards her. She remembers that she screamed, “to leave her alone,” the memory of the creature she had burned to a crisp before coming back to haunt her, she could feel it, the pain, the suffering, the fear those men felt being slaughtered like fish on a plate. The next thing she remembered was waking up on the door step of the way station. All this she kept to herself, hiding that her voice is back proper.

    *****

  The man is uneasy, standing before an image of the Grand Master.

  “So,” says the  Grand Master, “all you know is she showed up back at your way station? Huh…well let me tell you that we have a problem…the Red Guard’s king in your area upon seeing the image of their target, our gift to them for peace along your stretch of the Cloud Stream…decided to head out with his men to retrieve her, he fell in love with her image…”

  The way station manager knows better than to speak, not liking one bit where this sounds like it’s going.

  “There was a survivor,” says the Grand Master, “got away with some broken ribs, seems there was a monster down there that slaughtered the Red Guard and their king. Given their description of it, I’d say it was a Shadow Demon.”

  “Shadow Demon?” asks the way station manager.

  “A summoned Mystic Monster,” says the Grand Master, “that takes the form of the summoner, only darker. It is not something our order can do…given your…rather late descriptions of her using magic without incantations, our decree to exile her to the Red World per our Order’s Laws regarding traitors of the priesthood, was short sighted. There is evidence, especially given the flying on the Cloud Stream, incantationless spells, and this monster, that she is not a member of our order.”

  The Grand Master holds up his hand to keep the way station manager from speaking before continuing, “We likely fell for her trick, amnesia, transverse temple, remembering a few powerful spells for self defense even if her voice were taken away, and lets assume using the colors of a different order than her own, or of any order. This is likely a truly rogue sorceress. I am sending to you, under great reservations, and requiring a great…deal of bargaining and favors in the future, a member of the Order of Tricksters to examine her.”

  “Why would you?” starts the way station manager before being cut off

  In the grand master’s room, a lavish hall of green, gold, and white, a massive pipe organ on one end even, he walks over to a statue of a woman, a green gem no bigger than the palm of a child shaped like vertical eye is embedded in the statue’s chest.

  “I have done as you ordered great spirit of the gem.”

  “Good,” comes a woman’s voice from the gem, “I tire of this game, any harm comes to Sally now and your entire order will suffer greatly by the duel hands of Splendor and Chaos.”

    ******

   -Sally is put back to work; lead to believe what she experienced were bandits, and to not try to flying on the Cloud Stream like that again, it makes her too easy a target. In a few days time a tiny girl arrives at the way station, a woman really, standing only about four feet tall; wearing the strangest outfit; an orange witch’s costume with black cats and bats decorating it.

  “Ah you must be Xin of the Order of the Trickster,” says the way station master.

  Sally looks at the girl, ghostly images of cat ears sticking up through the brim of the hat, and a ghostly gray cat’s tail behind her.

  “here she is,” says the way station manager.

  Xin jumps back a step saying, “oh shit,”

  “You…you recognize her?” asks the way station manager a bit nervously.
 Xin follows Sally’s gaze as Sally asks, “Are…are you cat?”

  “S…see…foolish,” says the manager, “….wait…you can talk!?”

  Sally puts her hands to her mouth.

  Xin eyes them both, “We should go into your office.”

  Inside Xin asks Sally the same sort of questions Ruby did, Sally still doesn’t know, but keeps the stuff about the shadow to herself.

  “So what was the monster in the tunnels?” asks the Way Station manager.

  “That…” starts Sally, “…wait…how did you know about that?”

  “Order of the Leaf bullshit aside,” says Xin, “I take it you have amnesia and probably a few other spells on you. I am going to use Spell Sight; a spell that will let me see what all spells are active on you. If you really want to know your past, and likely get the hell out of this shit hole this is your best option.”

  Sally glares at the manager, an expression he’s never seen on her face before.

  “Yes,” says Sally, a tear drop falling remembering how Ruby just left her there.

  Xin conjures up a mirror like sigil with many loops along its oval edge, she hold its up to Sally, tiny lights appearing along the loops.

  “Translation spell,” says Xin, “a limiter spell…very interesting…you are a much faster healer and A LOT stronger, this is an intense limiter spell, huh…a failsafe spell…like a safety word in case of emergencies, so far activated at lower levels you are subconsciously fighting that spell from fully activating, hmmm…the psychomantic effect just screams to me of hope…weird, like maybe hoping you don’t need it and using it might prevent…some…thing…okay this one is spooky…”

  “What?” asks Sally

  “Well,” says Xin a bit nervously, “I…uh…you don’t have an amnesia spell on you,”

  “Playing dumb?” asks the manager,

 “You’d probably be dead if she were,” says Xin startling him.

  Xin turns back to Sally, “It’s a hibernation spell,”

 “Well,” says Sally, “I was found sleeping in an old temple and…”

  “No,” says Xin, “its active…like right now active…you are at best even when awake like this more like really ninety nine percent asleep, this is all like a dream to you. Which would explain fighting a safety word spell, accepting bad situations, and not realizing your own power…because holy shit…I am also using my true eyes spell in this…your cat comment made me do that by the way…and….oh…holy….shit…”

   Xin drops the spell and smiles at the manager, “Well I’d like to say it was nice meeting you, but it wasn’t…you are dead meat…oh and…”

  She taps her hat, her cat ears and tail fully appear, “She could see this and…”


  She points to an empty corner of the room, “We are being watched by an astral body, a shadow morphic one, who…”

  “The dark sorceress,” says Sally.

 “You….know?” asks Xin

 “She…she watches over me…protects me…I…I was afraid of her…she…”

  Sally looks away, “Those poor men,”

 Xin studies Sally’s face, “What is her name?”

  “Name?” asks Sally suddenly holding her head in pain.

 “You made her name and not yours the safety word didn’t you?” asks Xin, “well guess with a common name like Sally your little game would be over too soon, probably made a bunch of rules so your overprotective older sister couldn’t interfere with whatever the fuck you were doing here...”

  Xin hops about and looks around, “I am going to say it didn’t work out, so…”

  She looks at the empty corner, nods, and looks back at Sally.

 “Do you want to wake up?” asks Xin.

  “Y…yes,” says Sally.

 Xin whispers in her ear.

Sally speaks, “Rhu….lan? well that’s a weird…”

The dark sorceress Rhulan appears in the corner, making the way station manager back up. Sally
is fearful, but then feels dizzy and tired. Falling asleep her body floats into the air glowing green, a wind erupts around them.

  “What is happening?!” yells the manager.

 “Magic,” says Xin, “true magic, the magic that writes the rules of magic, Behold mortal fool, the awakening of your greatest desires and worst fears, behold….her who is here now.”

  The light fades, Sally is wearing her gold with green trim sorceress outfit and lands.

  “So she changed clothes and…”

  Sally flicks her writs and the manager is turned into a toad.

  “Well…that sucked,” says Sally

  She lunges at Rhulan hugging her, rubbing her head against Rhulan’s face.

  Sally is crying looking up at Rhulan, “waaaahhh, that totally sucked…I didn’t get my hero! Sucked, sucked, sucked, they were all meanies…I mean like aside from some kids and that one hero girl…but she left me with this total douchebag!”

  Xin twirls her wrist towards Rhulan and extends her index finger looking thoughtful, then towards Sally and extends her middle finger too, then back to one at Rhulan and two at Sally, then back at Rhulan while saying, “One,” then back to Sally, “two…”

  Xin backs up, “I…I am totally getting off this planet, this place is so screwed, later.”

  With that she vanishes in a glitter like mist.

   ******

   Not long after Ruby is riding a ship along the Cloud Stream when she feels the whole thing tilt, and commotion erupt among the ferrymen, turning around she sees before her the dark sorceress Rhulan.

  “S….Sally?” asks Ruby.

 “No,” says Rhulan, “I’m her sister you little bitch. Because of you she put in a situation where some idiot tried to have her murdered, possibly raped and murdered. Granted our immortality prevents any permanent loss, still…not fun…you will suffer.”

  “Uh…huh,” says Ruby, “I don’t think so!”

  She swings her sword, Rhulan blocks it with one arm and her defensive aura.

 “O…kay,” says Ruby, “nice trick, but no one calls Ruby the Spell Warrior a bitch!”

 She leaps back, chanting as blue runes form on her blade, the blade glowing with a fiery blue aura. She lunges at Rhulan who just blocks it again.

  Ruby’s eyes are very wide.

 Rhulan flicks her arm sending the blade flying to the shore, making Ruby realize the boat had stopped moving when this woman landed on it. Rhulan grabs Ruby by the throat and levitates, “Stupid little witch,” says Rhulan, “I am chaos, I am the distortion of all things, I am the madness that drives gods insane, I am the nightmare the eldritch fear, I…”

  “Stop!” yells Sally appearing.

 Rhulan lets go of Ruby’s throat, letting her drop. Sally catches her in her arms.

 “She couldn’t have known,” says Sally with Ruby almost unconscious and choking.

  “Be healed,” says Sally her hand glowing green, Ruby is instantly healed.

  “What…what the hell?” asks Ruby, raising her hand and summoning her sword.

 “I…got my memories back,” says Sally.

 “Well…that’s nice,” says Ruby, “so why’d your sister then…”

 “Oh,” says Sally, “that guy you left we with tried to have me assassinated, abducted, raped, assassinated, the whole shebang by some underground mole people.”

  Ruby looks between them, “Now hold on, I…uh..” she blushes as Sally puts their foreheads together. Ruby looks at Rhulan folding her arms.

  “I know,” says Sally, “on this world it is the law to return wayward spell casters to their orders, you thought I was harmed and needed their help. You are good.”

  Sally looks at Rhulan who just *shrugs*, “eh…I was going to revive her after I killed her. Just putting the fear of the goddess in her.”

  “Okay,” says Sally with a broad smile.

  “Wait, that’s it…” says Ruby, “and…hold on did you just say on this world…as in you two…and…you just read my mind…but I have psionic blocks…which are still up…”

  “We are far outside of your league,” says Rhulan.

  “Now wait a moment,” says Ruby, “I am listed by the Dimension Police themselves as the fifth strongest spell caster in the known multiverse.”

  Rhulan and Sally look at each other confused.

  Rhulan gets a twisted smile on her face and starts laughing, “Dimension Police? If that’s what it sounds like, sounds like a bunch of fools to me? Ha Hoo hoooo hooooo hoooo, I shall have to seek out these so called Dimension Police for myself.”

  With that Rhulan vanishes.

  “What…is going on?” asks Ruby.

 “Oh,” says Sally clapping her hands together, “Well I had this totally cool idea, I was going to play the part of the mysterious spell casting woman found asleep and naked in an ancient ruin, awakened by a hero with no memory of my past and harboring mysterious powers…totally romantic right,”

  Her expression drops, “but it totally didn’t work out, closest thing was you…but then that order stuff happened, and it totally sucked, boring, boring, and annoying. I hated it.”

  She sits on the deck cross legged and arms crossed.

  “Uh…excuse me miss…” says the captain, “Not to intrude but…my ship.”

  “Oops sorry,” says Sally *snapping her fingers* and the ship starts up.

 “J…just who are you?” asks Ruby.

 “You asked me that before,” says Sally leaning really close to Ruby’s face.

 Sally jumps up and says, “I am Sally the Sorceress of Splendor! and I seek adventure!”