----------------------------------
VRDET-OP: The Marraketh Connection
     "Underground Part 1/4"
        by: Red Paladin
----------------------------------

	*What the hell?* Suddenly, the room had brightened. He 
looked around and noticed that this was not the same place as 
before. Where was he? The pillars had disappeared. He got up off 
the earth floor. Earth floor? As he brushed his Cloak[tm] to get 
out the dirt, he glanced up to see the source of light. A small 
lantern that was hanging from the the ceiling by a vine-like 
rope. Upon closer inspection, even the lantern's frame was 
organic. This room was significantly smaller than the one he had 
left.
	As he moved to find an exit, another figure appeared 
behind, in a flurry of baggage and limbs. 
	"How nice of you to join me, Bryn?" Red said, without 
turning around. This exit from their present location was a 
rectangular cut hallway. It was lined with unlit torches and 
rounded a corner to the left. But before he went on to explore, 
he looked back to make sure Bryn was okay.
	"So where are we?" Red asked.
	"How should I know," she replied.
	Red spoke again, "What do we do now?"
	"How 'bout we find a way outta here?" she said 
sarcastically.
	"After you, then," Red said pointing into the dark 
hallway. Red briefly channeled a strand of Fire to re-light their 
extinguished torch. Then he took it and touched it to the torches 
lining the hallway, instantly illuminating their exit. At least, 
this way, they would not be bumping into things.
	The passage was surprisingly well-kept, and clean despite 
the choice of building material. The turn led to a long straight-
away. Near the end, they encountered a set of stairs that opened 
to another level and more hallway. A major difference was that 
this floor had fours doors leading to other rooms on either side, 
with individual burning torches between each door.
	"Looks like people actually live here," Red stated, 
unnecessarily. He examined the doors but they were only plain wood 
decorated with only a knob for the handle. He moved to knock but 
stopped.
	"Let's go," Red said. "I don't think we want to meet 
whoever lives here. I just want to get out of here. Wherever we 
are."
	He walked forward to the next set of stairs. They led to 
another section that went up in the opposite direction. The same 
type of earthen stairs that they had seen that seemed to make up 
every structure here. He shook his head wondering. He looked back 
to see no one following him. Where was she? He quickly reversed 
direction, leaping once per flight of stairs. One of doors were 
open. He went through without thinking. It was empty except for 
the person who had decided to do some exploring.
	"What are you doing?" Red asked Bryn. "We got to get out 
of here."
	"We should check if Katze is here or not," she replied. 
"That's what we're suppose to be doing."
	"I know that," Red said, "but I don't think she's here. 
Beside, I have a bad feeling about this place."
	The room was quite bare, and contained only a few books 
on a earthen shelf, overhanging a desk, and a bed that lay beside 
it. Several burning torches hung on all four walls. It looked 
innocent enough but, Red could not shake the instinctive feelings 
that something was going to happen.
	He backed out of the room when he notice it was suddenly 
empty. Bryn had left to check another one. As he carefully closed 
the door, faint footsteps and shouting reached his ears. It was 
coming from the floor above them. Fortunately, the sounds were  
not getting any closer.
	He decided to do some exploring on his own. Donning the 
hood of his Cloak[tm], he walked up the two flights of stairs, 
slowly to minimize the flashes of red he knew would show. This 
job required more detail than Shadowslipping[tm] could provide. 
Beside, he could tell that it was not night time yet.
	The stairs exited a wide room. Though the ceiling was 
only a foot or two taller than him, he would still say it was 
vast. Fireplaces on all four sides of the room, one of which he 
presently stood beside. He moved in front of the fire confident 
that the flashes of red would be disguised as part of the flame. 
He kept moving a bit so as not to leave the dangerous crimson
silhouette that came with wearing the Cloak[tm].
	The noises were coming from the inhabitants, having a 
dinner of sorts. As far a Red could tell, it was purely 
vegetarian. Even so, it smelled heavenly. He had never liked 
rations. At the far side of the room, he could see stew or at 
least some form of soup, being cooked in a large black kettle.
	He turned to move back down the stairs, when suddenly 
one of them moved towards him, which something in his or her 
hands. Red slowly shifted next to the steps. The stranger walked 
towards the fire, then put the board onto a rack above the fire. 
Red sighed mentally with relief when he realized it had just been 
loaves of bread for baking.
	He descended slowly to find out what Bryn had found.
	"Anything?" Red asked, pulling the hood back from his 
Cloak[tm].
	"Nothing," Bryn replied. "What was up there?"
	"They're having dinner upstairs," Red explained.
	"Who?" Bryn asked.
	"I'm guessing the people living here," Red answered.
	The noise above changed abruptly. They were headed for 
the staircase. *Damn! I must'a left a shadow[1]* Red motioned 
Bryn to hide, as he drew a dagger, but she stopped him. Several 
of the strangers enter the hall staring at them. Although he 
could defend himself without weapons, he felt he needed something 
for them to see. Red ejected the Drop Foil[tm] from his sleeve, 
and squeezed. Instantly, the dark red blade and wrist guard 
locked into place.
	It had no effect. They did not seem to see him. They were 
staring at Bryn. More specifically, the pendant that hung from 
her neck. It reflected a greater light as the inhabitants brought 
more torches. Speaking amongst themselves, they used a language 
he had never heard before.
	Red whispered to Bryn. "You know what they're saying?" He 
kept the Drop Foil[tm] out, just in case.
	"Well, it's not anything I've ever heard. Sounds like 
Russian though," she said.	
	*Ah man!* Darkness, he could feel, was soon coming. He 
could get of here, but where would that leave Bryn?
	They stopped talking. One of them began speaking to the 
two Jihaddi. His tone suggested a question, but Red had no idea 
what was being asked.
	"I don't understand," Red said, gesturing. "Anybody here 
speak English?" The strange looking person cocked his head 
sideways slightly, not quite understanding Red either, but at the 
same time realizing there would be a communication problem.
	"Can you tell us how to get out of here?" Red pantomimed 
walking out of a room. He seems to understand what was being said 
and gestured that they had to go up. Up? Then Red guessed he 
meant that him and Bryn had somehow ended up underground. That 
_would_ explain their surroundings. But how?
	Then Bryn spoke. "What are you staring at me for?"
	"I think they're looking at your crystal."
	She pick it up from the chain. Moving it between her 
fingers. "You mean this?" This, she directed towards the 
onlookers.
	Some nodded. They stepped to move closer, but Red 
reminded them of his Foil[tm]. Nonetheless, they continued. Red 
tried to move, but an invisible force was holding him in place. 
	*Hey! What the hell!* The Fire[tm] raged within him, but 
still the force held.
	They started towards them.
	"Wait!" They stopped at this sudden exclamation. Bryn 
could see that she would need something to help them communicate 
better. Red could magical energies swirling around her. Then they 
stopped. Suddenly, she began talking to them in what seemed to 
him as their own language. Now, Red was not only immobile, but 
had absolutely no idea what was being said either. *What the hell 
is going on?* he thought. Trying to make it leave his mouth move 
was an entirely different matter.
	The exchange between Bryn and the druid went on for a few 
minutes before Red felt the power holding him left. The Fire[tm] 
in his blood also went back to a dim glow.
	"Bryn, can you please explain to me what just happen?"
	She started talking.
	"Bryn, in English please?"
	"Oh right, sorry. Well, it like this," Bryn said, "the 
people that live here are what we'd call Druids. They worship 
this... I'll say god... called the 'Old Man Across the Sea'. 
That's the best translation. Anyway, this is their home that we 
found. From what I told them about how we got here, they said it 
must've been one of the ancient portal tablets or something that 
they use. We're underground right now. They live here 'cause of 
some disaster that happened way back when. Something about the 
sea rising up to crush everything. Tsunami, I think they mean. 
Compared to the other Marrakethians, they live comparatively 
close to the sea. Most of them are scared of it."
	"Well, that would explain much," Red said. "But how did 
you get all..." He stopped. "I mean, how did you understand one 
another?"
	"Magic has many ways of breaking communication barriers," 
she said, grinning. Red smiled too.
	The druid's cough broke their conversation and he began 
pointing at Red. Bryn nodded. "Red, put the sword away."
	"Oh, right." Three quick press of a concealed button 
quickly returned the Foil[tm] to its harmless state before Red 
tucked it into one of the pockets in his sleeve. He would have to 
put in back into the ejector later. The druids seemed friendly 
enough. In any case, the Foil[tm] was no more than a flick away.
	The druid said something to Bryn
	"Follow me," Bryn said. The druids started walking up the 
winding staircase, back into the dining room. "And please don't 
do something like that again."
	"Okay! Blame instincts," Red said, half-jokingly. "What 
are they going to do?"
	"They're going give us shelter for a little while," Bryn 
replied. "We can't leave now 'cause it has to be the proper time 
or something like that. Right, now we get dinner." She smiled.
	"Alright, I was getting tired of the rations. 'Only thing 
else I brought was this Ice." *Damn!! this gum's got memories*
	They reached the table and took some extra seats that the 
druids had available. Two bowls of the hot soup were brought to 
the weary travelers. The savoury flavour waifed through the air, 
filling their senses. Red took a few spoonfuls before breaking 
off a piece of the freshly baked bread that he had seen go in the 
oven a few minutes ago.
	With dinner done, they were assigned rooms. After saying 
goodnight, he scanned the room, and found it was exactly as the 
ones he saw downstairs. Climbing into the bed, he covered himself 
with his Cloak[tm] out of habit, he promptly fell asleep, 
dreaming.

                             * * * * *

	"I'm so excited, I just had to tell someone.... I have a 
boyfriend."
	(Scene changes to darkness)
	"You won't be needing this!"
	(Samantha pulls out Bart's heart and kicks it into the 
garbage can)
	-Laura Powers and Bart in the treehouse, Simpsons.

	The ball was in her court now, with Red waiting for the 
return. The response time was 18 hours and thirty minutes from 
the last midnight. Red had plenty of time to prepare for most of 
the returns, but after that long, one can weary. When it came 
Red was ready and not ready at the same time. The sentence came 
back, as judge, jury and executioner, delivered Red's fate. This 
destiny was in a sense corrupted by outside influence. How the 
decision was altered, even from so far a distance, he did not 
know; he only knew the effect. The doors came and slammed Red 
back refusing him entry. No visitors.
	They were gathering for a trip to the General Jackson 
Showboat when, she picked him out of the crowd and led him away 
to talk in private. In contrast to normal, Red was wearing mostly 
white clothing. Well, light beige to be exact.
	"I have to talk to you..." she said.
	"I was wondering when I'd get a response." Red replied.
	".... I can't go with you bec..."
	Red remained cool and interrupted. "That's okay."
	"No wait. Listen. I can't go because I'm already seeing 
someone in St. Catharines," she explained.
	"I know. That's why I used the lyrics that I did." He 
really did not and only suspected this other. Red's expression 
stayed unfazed, as if everything was okay.
	"No, you don't understand," she said.
	"No, I understand completely. I knew," he reaffirmed, 
lying through his teeth. "You know all the lyrics to the song, 
right?" She had said she heard the song before in the survey.
	She nodded.
	"Well, then you know they fit perfectly."
	She nodded again.
	"Sorry," she could not even say my name. "It was sweet, 
though." And then she was gone, except in Red's mind.

                             * * * * *

	Red woke with a start, at the sound of knocking. "Come 
in."
	Bryn opened the door. "Wake up, it's morning. One of the 
druids said they went to wake you, but you weren't there."
	"Must've been the Cloak[tm]," Red explained. He grinned.
	"I figured as much," Bryn said. "You know, you're going 
to have to make a new bed for them."
	"What?" Red got up, looking down. "Oh, right. The 
shadow." He laughed. "We get breakfast or what?"
	Despite this seemingly careless attitude, at the back of 
his mind, Red still felt something wrong.
	Evil was just around the corner.

To Be Continued in "Underground Part 2/4"

----------------------------------------------------------------
Footnote(s):
[1] A crimson silhouette is left by the Cloak[tm] if the wearer 
is in one position for too long, leaving an indelible mark.
----------------------------------------------------------------

(C) A Neutral&Chaotic Production, 1998.

Neutral&Chaotic Publishing since 1997.
----------------------------------------------------------------
The preceding segment is a work of fiction. Names, characters, 
places and incidents are either the product of the author's 
imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual 
events or locals or persons, living or dead, is entirely 
coincidental.