The Last Battle (open)

[GrandpaG]

Tumbling head-over-heels down the slope of the dusty, stone-ridden hill, GrandpaG remembered the old saying "look before you leap".  The creepy feeling back at Kelsey's had caused him to be hasty.  Hastiness definitely was not his norm.  He liked to be sure of where he was going and why.  He interrupted this thought long enough to catch his balance and stop rolling.

 

He was covered in dust from head to toe.  A quick glance about didn't show anyone watching him so he channeled a small breeze of Air to chase away the surface dust.  The ground in dirt would have to wait.  The colorful patches on his cloak fluttered.  Nervously he checked the area that he had fallen from to see if the residue of his gateway was glimmering...it was not.  He sighed in relief.

 

What seemed like a short time ago, he would not have worried.  Back then, there had been so few male channelers that he didn't have to be concerned about having someone see his weaves or their remnants.  That was no longer the case.  Since the Dragon's amnesty was announced, male channelers seemed to sprout like mushrooms on a bog.  Nowadays he had to be much more careful than in the old days.

 

When his thoughts calmed, he glanced around.  He half expected to see the huge battle that had haunted his earlier dream.  Thankfully, that was not the case at all.  Instead, he saw what really did appear to be heaven...or at least the Randland equivalent.  As before, the new lake stretched well into the distance with it's haze hanging overhead.  The Aiel tents were there, too.  As was the city.  But, there was no battle.  The Light be praised.

 

Like a sudden massive bubble of pure heat, it hit him.  Somehow, up until now, he had been ignoring the hot dryness.  Not now.  Now it almost smothered him.  It felt heavy.  He wanted to sag to the ground.  Wanting desperately to get back to how he had felt before, he tried to remember what he had done to withstand the effects of this hostile environment.  Sweat was now pouring from every pore.  The nearest shade was several miles down slope.  Unable to resume his immunity, and absolutely positive that he would perish from heat stroke or exhaustion shortly, he did the only thing that he could.  He opened a gateway toward the edge of the lake.  As he did, he offered a quick silent prayer that there were no small Aiel children swimming where the gateway opened.

[GrandpaG]

Trying to maintain the gateway at a size just large enough to fit through and at a height that would surely be above the head of any small children, GrandpaG stuck his head through the opening and looked around.  The "look before you leap" adage was still fresh in his mind.  Thankfully, there didn't seem to be anyone nearby let alone any small children.  With a sigh of relief, GrandpaG practiced his landing mentally then executed the move.  Even dropping from a height, any gleeman could have pulled off the tumbling landing smoothly.  His slightly less than perfect rolling, stumbling flop on the ground reminded him once more that he was not the spring chicken that he used to be.

 

As soon as his wits were gathered, and the gateway was properly dissipated, the intense heat struck home anew.  Taking one last peek around to be sure that nobody would see him, he made a bee-line for the lake.  Stopping just short of the breaking waves, he dropped his traveling pack and deposited his gleeman's cloak on top of it.  Then his boots, trousers, shirt, and small clothes.  Glancing at his wrinkled body he truly hoped that there wasn't a group of Maidens of the Spear secretly watching him.  Their sense of humor might hurt his feelings.  :-[

 

"Geronimo!!!", he yelled as he took off on a full run into the waves until he could run no more then dove head first into the lukewarm water.  In a normal lake, this would have felt like bath water.  But, compared to the heat of the air, it was just right.  Nice and cool.  And wet.  Delightful.  "AAAAaaahhhhhh."  Time for a relaxed float on the back.  Several minutes passed before he glanced toward his pile of clothes and saw the two elderly Aiel Wise Women pawing through his possessions.  And glancing in his direction.  Pointing.  And grinning.  ;D

[Blackhoof]

Pherno fell through his gateway head-first, landing in a heap on the ground. He stood, dusted himself off, and looked around at the bleak, poisoned landscape of the Blight. The Fortress of the Dreadlords towered above him, like a big, black dagger piercing the sky. Pherno began walking towards the massive structure as he thought about his next move. Well, as much as it galls me to admit, those Aes sedai and that asha'man are too tough to defeat alone, or even with brute force, I will have too attack at an unexpected angle... Suddenly, an idea struck, and Pherno laughed wickedly. Quickening his pace, Pherno made for the Dreadlords record of Darkfriends, planning, after he had rested properly, a visit to the Tinkers.

 

OOC: Mwa ha ha ha!

[GrandpaG]

Knowing that the Aiel were not prudish about nudity, GrandpaG guessed that they were probably making fun of him because he could not handle the heat.  To them, being here near this large body of water, the air was probably just comfortable if not slightly brisk.  For all of their lives they had become accustomed to the extreme temperatures of the Waste.  Wetlanders were soft.  And that was a source of humor for them.

 

"Come, old man!  If you stay in that water too long it will give you wrinkles on your skin!"  ;D  That was from the older of the pair...the one with white hair poking out from under her scarf.  The one with reddish hair with some gray in it laughed until she bent over holding her belly.  When her laughter finally subsided enough to allow her to speak, she added a jab of her own.  "Yes.  And some parts of you will begin to shrink!"  ;D  Both women roared and slapped their thighs.  Then they hugged and laughed some more.  Tears were running down their cheeks.  :D

 

GrandpaG changed from his nonchalant backstroke to a nice, easy sidestroke.  No reason, really.  He just felt like changing.  That's all.  He calmly stroked toward the shoreline.  No panic.  No hurry.  He was simply cooled off enough to go and put his clothes back on.  That's all.

[Blackhoof]

OOC: Phernos part in this is over, and i am somewhat dissapointed that arani didnt show up and respond to my posts. Oh well. Maybe someone else will come in and take up your rhuidean thing, eh?  :)

[GrandpaG]

OOC: Phernos part in this is over, and i am somewhat dissapointed that arani didnt show up and respond to my posts. Oh well. Maybe someone else will come in and take up your rhuidean thing, eh?  :)

 

I enjoyed "watching" your duel.  The five of them may just be regrouping.  ;)

[GrandpaG]

When he could easily touch bottom, GrandpaG stopped swimming and walked the rest of the way to shore.  Actually, he strutted.  Proudly.  Like a Stone Dog headed for battle.  There was no reason for him to be shy.  These women must have spent thousands of nights in the sweat tents with men.  He soon discovered that his behavior was not seen as being proper.

 

Like school girls waking up in the boys locker room, both women shrieked loudly and pulled their hair kerchiefs down to cover their eyes.  The older one actually quivered as if she were afraid that she would be attacked or something.  GrandpaG attempted to sooth the situation.  "Please.  Ladies.  I assumed that you had been to the sweat tents before and that there was no need for modesty.  I apologize."  He hastened to his pile of clothing, grabbed his small clothes, and started climbing into them as fast as he could.

 

That's when the two Wise Ones raised their veils revealing the broad laughter smiles that they had been concealing.  The younger spoke because the elder was laughing too hard.  "Yes."  She had to stop for a laughter break.  Tears were flowing freely down her cheeks.  She wiped at them with the back of her sleeve.  "Yes, gleeman.  We have been to the sweat tents MANY times.  THIS is NOT a sweat tent!"  She couldn't continue.  Her laughter doubled her over again.  GrandpaG began to wonder if they had been into a bottle of that oosquai stuff that he had heard about.

::)

 

After what seemed to be an hour of them trying to regain control of their senses while he finished putting his clothes back on, the elder Wise One spoke.  "Forgive us, honorable gleeman.  We should not have taken so much pleasure at your expense.  Especially when we have not been properly introduced.  I am Shellee.  Wise One of the Nestled Boulders of the Shaido."  The younger woman wiped another tear, still smiling broadly, and said, "Yes.  Although that laughter was very good medicine, I, too, have Toh to you master gleeman.  I am Ghina, Wise One of the Twin Peaks clan of the Goshien."  They waited patiently for his reply.

 

"I am GrandpaG.  Gleeman.  Presently without Clan or Sept.  My trade makes me welcome at all Roofs, for which I am grateful."  He gave a long, slow, full bow with an elaborate flourish of his cloak ensuring that the patches fluttered delicately.  "I see you Shellee.  I see you Ghina.  It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance."  He finished his bow then slowly raised back upright.

 

"I see you, GrandpaG.  Welcome to Rhuidean.", Ghina offered.  "I see you, GrandpaG.  As you said, a gleeman is always welcome among the Aiel.", Shellee said as she nodded slightly.  "If I may ask, what brings you to this particular location?  Why were you polluting our water?"  GrandpaG almost grinned before he realized that her question had been serious and not a joke.  He quickly offered a lame apology then tried to explain about the heat bothering him.

 

"Ignore it.", Shellee told him.  "Do you see the light of the sun?  Why do you keep your eyes open?  You should close them.  No?  Just as you do not need to close your eyes to avoid the sunlight, you do not need to pollute my water to avoid the heat.  The sunlight is all around you.  The heat is all around you.  Treat the heat like you do the sunlight.  Accept it.  Use as much as you need to stay warm.  Embrace it.  When the cold of night comes, you will yearn for it.  Just as you yearn for the sunlight when it is dark.  Use as much of it as you need.  Ignore the rest.  Teach yourself to think of the heat as you do the sunlight.  In time, you will ignore the heat just as you do the sunlight already."

 

GrandpaG thought about it.  "OK.  I'll try."

 

"NO!!!", Ghina shouted.  "Try NOT!!!  Do, or do NOT!!!  There IS no TRY!!!"

;)

[GrandpaG]

Feeling slightly abashed, GrandpaG nodded agreement to Ghina.  He closed his eyes to concentrate.  He imagined the surrounding heat coming from a roaring fireplace.  In his mind he stepped back away from the fireplace a little.  It took several seconds for his brain to accept the change in distance but gradually it did.  The heat of the fire was still in the fireplace but it wasn't as hot as it had been.  GrandpaG held out his hands to warm them.  The heat was more intense on the palms of his hands.  He smiled and enjoyed the toasty fire.  After maybe a minute, he relaxed his arms and opened his eyes.  He was comfortably warm.

 

"That was some good advice, Shellee.  I feel much better now."  He felt some sweat forming on his forehead.  "This might take some practice, but I'm sure that I will get the hang of it.  Thank you."

 

"You're welcome, master gleeman.  Now, if you please, tell me why you have come to Rhuidean.  Do you intend to perform here?".  She seemed almost excited at the prospect of watching him juggle his balls and play his flute.

 

GrandpaG smiled delightfully.  "Regretfully, no.  It is not my trade that brings me here.  I'm afraid that I am here for a more serious reason.  Are you familiar with what the Aes Sedai refer to as the Foretelling?".  Both Wise Ones looked at each other then nodded in the affirmative.  "Is there shade where we can sit and talk?  Please?".  Again, the Wise Ones communicated without speaking.  "Follow us.", Shellee directed.

 

GrandpaG gathered up his belongings and did his best to keep up.  He was sure that Shellee had to be nearly as old as himself but she set a lively pace across the newly grown grass at the edge of the lake.  She didn't slow at all when they reached the fringe and entered the normal rocky sand-scape found throughout the Waste.

 

"Don't worry about me.", he called sarcastically.  "I'll catch up to you eventually!!!".  Appearing suddenly ahead was a group of tents that GrandpaG was somewhat ashamed that he had not noticed before.  They blended into their surroundings as if they were camouflaged.  Passing several of them by, Ghina finally stopped beside one and raised the flap for Shellee.  She stood there waiting patiently until the pooped gleeman arrived.  She ushered him in, then followed.

 

When they were properly seated on nice soft cushions and had been served a cup of cool water by white robed Gaishen, Shellee asked, "what sort of Foretelling brings you to our tent, GrandpaG?".  GrandpaG didn't really know where to start.

[GrandpaG]

GrandpaG took a few moments to regain his control of the new trick that he had learned for ignoring the heat.  That, along with the cool water and the shade provided by the tent, made him feel almost comfortable.  He took a deep breath then relaxed.

 

"I really don't know how to begin.", he told the Wise Ones.  "I guess the best place is Kelsey's.".  Over the next several minutes he told as much of the tale as he could remember clearly.  Both women wrinkled up their noses and foreheads as if smelling something sour when he mentioned the shadow spawn.  They took the descriptions of the battle in stride.  Battles were nothing strange.

 

"You walked the dream.  Possibly in the flesh.", Ghina told him.  She looked sadly toward Shellee and the sad look was returned.  "What you experienced could have been very bad.  You could have awakened from the dream.  You could have been trapped for eternity.  You could have lost part or all of your soul."

 

"Stand.", Shellee ordered.  She didn't request it.  She demanded it.  He was to comply and that was all there was to it.  So, he did.  "Now, raise one foot.  Hop.".  Both women watched him closely.  "Touch your finger to your nose.  KEEP HOPPING!!!  Don't stop until I tell you to!  Use your other hand.  Now, hop on the other foot.  Clap both hands together.  FASTER!!!".  The orders kept coming and he kept obeying.

 

"I really am getting too old for this kind of exercise.", he panted hoping for a little sympathy.  The two looked at each other then nodded.  "You may sit.  There doesn't seem to be any ill effects from your visit to the land of dreams."  He gratefully complied with the order to sit.  Fresh water was handed to him almost immediately.  He quickly regained his control of the heat.  He was getting better at that as long as he didn't get distracted.

 

"The dream does not always speak clearly.  What you saw COULD have been a glimpse of the Pattern of things to come.  It could very well have been just a bad side effect of the ale that you consumed.  Time will tell the truth.  We will share your dream with the other Wise Ones.  Rhuidean will not be caught totally unprepared.  This place has always been free from battle for the Aiel, but times are changing.  The Last Battle is being fought all around us.  If the shadow runners bring it here, we will not be easy meat.", Ghina stated as a matter of fact.  "Thanks be to you, master gleeman.", Shellee added.

 

GrandpaG nodded back to them.  "How about a tour of the city?  Last time I was here it was all covered in fog."

[GrandpaG]

That last remark had taken some time to recover from.  Apparently, even though gleemen were welcome in the Waste, that welcome did not extend to the clouded city of Rhuidean.  He had to tread very carefully to convince Shellee and Ghina that he had not fouled their sacred ground in any way.  He had only stepped through the haze far enough to get some shelter from the sun.  The place had given him the creeps, so he had left without disturbing so much as a pebble.  Quick in.  Quick out.  After many suspicious cross examinations, they finally accepted his tale for truth.  Thankfully.

 

Anyway.  What would it matter?  Nowadays, the city was open to all of the Aiel.  It was no longer shrouded in mystery.  Anybody could see what used to be hidden.  GrandpaG guessed that they had just gotten used to protecting it's sanctum for so long that it was hard for them to accept the openness.  They still seemed hesitant to take him there.  He could wait.  It really wasn't that big of a deal if he went there or not.  After all...he had seen it before.  ;D

[GrandpaG]

As they trudged along the lake shore toward the city, GrandpaG spotted what appeared to be several groups of Tinker wagons camped on the outskirts.  There was really no mistaking the brightly painted wagons.  Some even looked familiar.  He wondered if they might be some that he had visited with Rand Al'Thor?  When he was done with the Wise Ones he would have to visit their fires for some good food and relaxation.

[Blackhoof]

OOC: Arani, if you can hear me, please respond.

[GrandpaG]

Shellee and Ghina escorted GrandpaG into the city.  Two Wise Ones walking together would have gone unnoticed.  Two Wise Ones bracketing a gleeman drew immediate attention.  Peddlers stopped hawking to gawk.  The ring of the blacksmith's hammer fell silent until they were completely past his forge.  Children bustled in an ever expanding circle laughing and pointing and trying to keep pace.  Several shouts of "where will you be performing?" were heard from unseen watchers.

 

This was exactly the type of attention that GrandpaG craved.  As the trio strode proudly down the broad divided street with all of it's grand fountains and newly planted vegetation sprinting upward he nodded to some and gave a quick flutter of his cloak to others.  All the while he encouraged more children to join the fun by flashing a brief smile or a wink.  After all.  Children make the best audience.  And, if you can gather them, their parents will follow.  Yes, this would be a show to remember.

 

It seemed strange that there did not appear to be much new construction.  The Aiel surely knew how to build.  Maybe not as good as those who had started this city.  Certainly not as good as the Ogier could do.  But they built homes in places where they should not have been able to in spite of their surroundings.  Continuing with what had been started seemed like child's play compared to that.  They certainly could not use the excuse of too many rainy days.

 

When he made a passing comment about the lack of building, Shellee stopped dead in her tracks and gave him a look that asked if he was senile.  "There is not enough wood for building.  It will take many years to grow enough trees to have excess wood that can be wasted for building holds that are not needed."  To be sure that he understood, she stared at him and waited as if she was watching it sink in through his thick skull.

 

"I know where there is enough wood to build two more cities this size with a tall wall all around to keep out the trollocs.  Several miles of forest were knocked down in a battle between Aes Sedai and dreadlords.  The wood will go to waste if it is not harvested.  If you can find a few hundred volunteers to do the work, I should be able to hold a gateway open long enough for them to bring the wood here."

 

Before he could bring the words back into his mouth, they struck home.  Both Wise Ones nearly sat down right where they stood.  Their faces went white and their eyes bugged out.  :o  Apparently, GrandpaG had somehow forgot to mention the fact that he could channel.  * shrug *  Oops.

[GrandpaG]

OOC: Arani, if you can hear me, please respond.

 

 

I think that you can send a message by clicking on the person's name bar?  Not sure.  I've never sent one.  Might be worth a try?

[GrandpaG]

"Do you know how much gold you can get for one tree's worth of wood?  It is almost as valuable as water.  Many feuds have been fought over a small stand of scrub brush.  And you offer us MILES of timber?", Ghina's eyes bugged out even further than Shellee's.  :o  Apparently, the revelation of being able to channel was not such a shock after all.

 

"I have been wondering what my contribution to the Light in the battle against the Shadow would be.  Perhaps this is my role?  If we can bring that wood here we can fortify the city.  Maybe Rhuidean will be the last town standing when this is all done.".  GrandpaG smiled at the prospect of being able to help.  As he raised his gaze to the Wise Ones, he thought that their eyes reflected something a little closer to...uuhhmmm...maybe...GREED?  ::)

[Blackhoof]

I will try that.

[GrandpaG]

A hand on a belt knife might not sound dangerous.  Certainly not as bad as a spear point touching your nose.  But, right now, accompanied by the expressions on the faces of those two women, those hands gripping the handles of those knives almost made GrandpaG lose control of his bowels.  Trying very hard to tell his feet that he didn't want to run away, he gathered his composure enough to speak...sorta.

 

"UUUHHheemmm.  Well, ladies.  It appears that I have found something that you are interested in.  Being that I am a gleeman and not a peddler we do not need to discuss how much I will receive for my services.  I assume that you can find some...aahhmmm...helpers?"  He tried hard not to gulp.

 

Shellee and Ghina gave each other the silent communication look.  They seemed to be very good at that.  As most women are.  When they agreed silently that they had to, they turned away from the old man and huddled together to talk just beyond earshot.  Of course.  He had no way of using the One Power to eavesdrop even though he had heard that it might be possible.  When they turned back toward him with friendly smiles on their faces he knew that he was REALLY in trouble!

 

 

[Blackhoof]

Pherno surveryed the burning field of deforested trees and smiled. He had heard GrandpaG tell the Wise Ones about it, and soon they would come to harvest the wood. Now all they had was ash. Mwa ha ha ha ha! GrandpaG would follow him by sensing the residues of his gateway, and hopefully challenge him. Laughing evilly, Pherno opened a gateway and strolled through, making sure that the residues were easy to see.

[GrandpaG]

GrandpaG opened his gateway to the fallen forest.  An escort of Maidens jumped through to scout around.  An equal number of Stone Dogs was not far behind.  Neither would allow the other the honor of scouting for the old gleeman.  GrandpaG and the two Wise Ones followed the Stone Dogs.  Then a small entourage of twenty or so gaishain to fetch and serve for the Wise Ones and their pet gleeman.  Lastly came the few hundred close friends who had expressed an interest in picking up a handful of twigs as souvenirs with absolutely no interest whatsoever in personal gain...yeah, right!

 

The look of shock on all of their faces was soon followed by outright rage.  The trick-or-treaters had just opened their bags to find lumps of coal!  Both Wise Ones turned together and focused on GrandpaG with dagger eyes.  "This joke is NOT funny, old man!!!", Ghina drooled and spat at him.  Shellee simply eased her belt knife out of her belt and strolled casually in his direction.  He had to act fast!

 

Holding up his palms toward Shellee defensively, GrandpaG seized the One Power just in case.  "Wait a minute!  WAIT!!!  HOLD ON!!!  Let's not panic, please!  I don't know what happened here, but maybe we can figure it out!".  He looked around and saw a shimmering in the distance that had a familiar look about it.  His forehead furrowed as he recognized the residue pattern of the gateway.  Shellee stopped and almost backed up as he shouted.

 

"PHERNO!!!"

[Blackhoof]

Pherno waited patiently as the Tinkers made a wagon-circle. He suddenly felt compelled to leave. These tinkers were defenceless, hardly worthy of his attention! But, he liked defenceless opponents, didn't he? "No you don't Said the voice in his head. "Yes, i do." Pherno answered irritably.

Ah, no, you don't, im in your head, i should know.

"But its MY head!

No its not, YOUR in MY head!

Oh, for the Great Lords sake, not THIS again! We've discussed it, and YOU are in MY head, because I wasn't alive in the Age of Legends, and you were, so because this is three thousand years later, logically, it means that YOU are the VOICE in my HEAD!

....

Well, what do you say to THAT!

Oh, *sob* why do i have a madman in my head?

FOR THE LAST TIME, YOU ARE IN MY HEAD!!!

Nah-ah!

SHUT UP!

No

If i leave and fight G in the wastes, will you be quiet!?

... maybe.

Fine, i'll go!

And with that, Pherno opened a gateway to the wastes to find a scores of Aiel, two wise ones, and GrandpaG filling the field of ash that he had made.

[GrandpaG]

GrandpaG almost wished that he hadn't shouted quite so loud.  He really didn't mean to summon the dreadlord back to him.  He was just ticked that the guy had ruined so much perfectly good timber for no reason.  Now how would the Aiel rebuild their ancient city?  No sense whining about spilled ale.  The problem at hand was worth crying about and very real.  A gateway was forming and it had the familiar signature that he had seen a couple of times during his dream at Kelsey's...and after his chat with Jon the Tinker...Pherno was returning!  :o

 

"Hold onto your hats, ladies!  There's a storm brewing!!!".  GrandpaG slowly and deliberately eased his way closer to the Wise Ones.  He didn't want to upset them too much by looking panicked.  He had to remain calm for their sake.  When he finally took the time to look at their faces, he saw them gazing quizzically at the forming gateway.  A thought came to him from no where.

 

"UUUuhhmm...neither of you two ladies would by any chance be able to channel, would you?".  Shellee and Ghina both nodded and continued to study the forming oddity.  "BINGO!!!", he shouted without really knowing what it meant.  It was something that had trickled down through the ages.  Nobody remembered what it used to signify.  Nowadays it was simply an exclamation of sudden joy.  Out of fear of what was to come he decided to gamble.  "Will you link with me to face this dreadlord?".

 

The pair stopped studying the gateway and locked eyes with each other.  Their silent conversation must have been intense.  It lasted several seconds.  They eventually nodded.  "If this dreadlord was able to destroy all of this wood, you will need more help than just the two of us.".  They raised their arms and signaled to the surrounding Aiel, including gaishain, to gather close.  Then they began to point.  "You.  You.  You.  You.".  They even pointed at some of the gaishain.  They only pointed at females.  When they were done sorting Shellee announced, "those of you who were pointed to have the ability to learn to channel.  You will join with us to fight the dreadlord.  The rest of you will have to rely on your spears.  The men will have to be sorted by the gleeman.".

 

GrandpaG's eyes bugged out nearly as much as the men standing nearby.  Some of them actually backed away from him a few steps and raised their spears defensively.  "Hold on there, sister!  I don't know HOW to check these guys.  Sure.  We could use the extra horsepower, but I'm not even sure how to control a link let alone link with...gulp...another MAN!!!  And, we don't have much time to learn.  That Pherno guy will be here any second!!!".  Reflexively he checked his hidden pockets to be sure that his favorite knives were where they should be.  Then, he felt the small statue that he had totally forgotten that he had. 

[GrandpaG]

Feeling quite clumsy, GrandpaG grasped the small statue then assumed the Void.  He tried to imagine himself grasping the distant raging torrent of saidin by walking hand-in-hand with the little fat man.  It didn't work.  He tried to imagine carrying the statue and throwing it at saidin.  Nope.  His mind told him to hurry it up.  Pherno had to be just about here.  He even tried surrendering to saidin with the little man in control of it.  Didn't work.  Finally, just as he noticed Pherno stepping through his gateway with a huge grin of satisfaction on his face, GrandpaG imagined himself reaching through a transparent image of the statue.  He grasped saidin by the shirt collar and hung on for dear life.

 

Pherno was taking his time.  He casually strolled toward the group.  He had no reason to fear a handful of Aiel with sticks.  His confidence glowed around him.  GrandpaG wished some of that confidence could be borrowed for a few hours.

 

Holding more saidin than he ever had and only a small trickle of what he knew he could now handle, GrandpaG turned to the Wise Ones.  "Ready?", he asked while trying not to allow his voice to tremble from the pure pleasure of touching so much of the nice, clean One Power.  They nodded, and Ghina replied, "we have seven all together.  We have never done this 'link' before.  You will have to teach us.".  She almost blushed.

 

"I've never done it, either.  I watched four Aes Sedai and their Ashaman warder do it once in my dream.  I guess that if there is a will, the Pattern will show the way?  I think they started by holding hands.  Let's try that.".  He shrugged and held out both hands.  To himself, he said a prayer that they would figure this thing out before Pherno started his fireworks display.  :o

[Blackhoof]

Pherno strolled casually towards the large group of Aiel and G. This would be easier than expected, there two channelers and GrandpaG to contend with... easy as pie. What that meant escapd him, but he knew that pie was pretty easy, so that was a good thing.

 

Weaving fire, Pherno raised his arms and they were engulfed in flames. As he saw G, the wise ones, and a few other aiel women hold hands, Perno began singing.

 

By now, you all should know who i am,

and the terror you feel will burst the dam.

My fire will scourge, cleanse and burn,

my firey hatred cannot be turned.

 

Try to stop me, if you dare,

or run and hide, i do not care.

Either way, you will die,

a firey death, under a burning sky.

 

I grasp the void, i seize the power,

it signifies your final hour.

I talk in rhyme, often in song,

When you hear me, death wont be long.

 

 

OOC: do you like the poem? Im quite proud of it, actually.

 

 

 

 

[GrandpaG]

OOC:  not too bad.  But, I'm no poet.  I prefer stage performances.  Wanna watch me juggling my balls?  I'll throw in a couple of lighted torches.  ;D

 

A feeling of desperation was settling in.  GrandpaG, also known by some Fiddlesticks spammers as the "Baron of Butt Bombs", had attempted to blow some wind at the encroaching fire hoping that it would burn itself out of oxygen but his methane just added to the ferocity of the flames.  So, he decided to use the One Power instead.  (Sorry...I couldn't resist...I'll try to fight more seriously)  ;D

 

 

 

 

Ghina was trying desperately to bring the remaining untrained channelers into the link with her, GrandpaG, and Shellee.  Although Aiel normally are pretty hard to upset, these young women were obviously too riled to relax.  She kept telling them to surrender to saidair but they just couldn't.  The flames didn't help the situation. 

 

"Gleeman," Shellee said calmly, "will you allow me to control the weaves?  I was at a battle once where Aes Sedai threw up a huge wall around their group.  The spears could not penetrate it.  Fire balls exploded against it.  I've never actually made one before because I didn't have the need or the strength.  With your assistance, I might be able to keep us all from being cooked alive by this rhyming wetlander."

 

GrandpaG was happy to relinquish control.  "Sure.  Here.  Take it.", he said trying not to sound too anxious.  Actually, he was glad that she had asked because he was not having much luck using it and he felt like it was a total waste for him to stand there and do nothing at all with all of that power available.  He kept his sigh of relief to himself as he felt her take over.  He also felt a certain...loss.

 

As soon as Shellee had the lead, the remaining female channelers popped into the link.  Either they had been afraid to join with GrandpaG in control, or he had somehow been blocking them out.  He now knew that the third one from his left thought he was kinda cute even though he was a really old wetlander.  He smiled at her and she blushed.  He would have to be careful with his own thoughts.

 

Shellee seemed to be concentrating really hard.  GrandpaG could feel her frustration through the link.  The link also seemed to magnify and compile the individual pain that each member felt.  The affects of Pherno's attack seemed to be much more intense than they had before the link was completed.  It was getting really hot.  The Aiel didn't seem to notice.  GrandpaG remembered his trick for ignoring the heat.  "AAaahhh...that's better.".  Ghina smiled.  Through the link, GrandpaG caught the soft echoes of "soft wetlander".

 

Suddenly, it cooled off drastically.  A spark of satisfaction raced through the link from Shellee.  She was looking up at a transparent shield woven from a combination of the male and female halves of the One Power.  Some of Pherno's heat was still radiating through the dome but the flames themselves were slamming into it and being dissipated.  The pure, clean flow of saidin through the statue felt SO good!  And the pattern of it interwoven with saidair overhead was breathtaking!  GrandpaG could enjoy this battle forever!

[Blackhoof]

Pherno smiled as he saw the G and the aiels' faces light up in hope; they thought that that would old him off? Ha ha ha! Weaving fire and air, Pherno made a collosal spear of fire and air, over 20 feet long, in the air above him. His hands were raised high in the air, and the fire-spear swivelled until it pointed straight at one of the channeling wise ones. He knew that hand gestures were unneccessary, but he waving his arms about, as if guiding his attacks, was more fun than just standing there.

 

Come on out, dont try and hide,

i said i didnt care, but i lied.

Come out and face me, or i will come in,

you'll perish in my firey din.

 

Whats that, you say? You wont come out?

Come on, now, dont make me shout.

Fair enough, its time to burn,

a fiery lesson, you will learn.

 

 

As his last word faded into nothing, Pherno flung his arms forward, and the fire-spear shot straight at the shield, smashing it to smithereens.

 

OOC: Oh, and thank you for promising to be more serious; while i like a laugh as much as the next guy, it kind of ruins the narrative for me if you spend your time farting at Pherno.  :) You know what i mean? :D