Date: Fri, 31 Aug 2001 00:33:37 +0100 From: Tim <power@utvinternet.ie> Subject: Powers Within 3 Hello people! I'm back with a new chapter of 'Powers Within'! I know that you all must be *very* excited, but try to restrain yourselves, for now. Wait until you get into the chapter for that. It's promises to be an interesting one! Anyway read on for what happens! Anyway, I don't really have too much to write in the author's notes, for once. (Everyone gasps in horror) Now, this year I've got the special pleasure of being on the council for the BBSA, as director of nominations counting. This means that (mysteriously) all of my stories are going be nominated of a surprising number of categories, some maybe twice. Ah no, actually it means that I can't nominate or vote at all (Sob, Sob.) But that's getting away from the subject at hand. I'm supposed to have four people to help me count the nominations, I've already recruited two, and while I probably could find two more, it's easier just to write it here. If you're interested in helping out in the most prestigious awards show this side of Mars, then e-mail me and I'll give you the full details. Tim - As usual, thanks! Lmmdas - Thank you! Jim, - you're slow, not profound. Also - I've changed my e-mail address, again! Now it's power@utvinternet.ie. This is because my server started bullying me, and it's kind of to get away from junk mail, now, I only have ever gotten junk mail on e-mail addresses that I've given out with my stories, so that leads me to believe that *someone* out there has been giving out my e- mail address. And while I really love to get feedback, I don't know why I'm being harassed to sign up for straight porn! (People, I'm a guy writing stories about gay couples. Put two and two together will you?) Ok I lied, I had plenty to write. One more thing before the disclaimers - SHAMELESS SELF PROMOTION TIME!!! I should be updating 'Powers Within' either tonight or tomorrow nigh, no later then then. I suggest that you go check it out, just because. WRITE TO ME!!! I LOVE FEEDBACK!!! IF I DON'T GET IT THEN I'LL BE ALL DEPRESSED AND THINK THAT NO ONE LOVES ME, which can't be true - can it? power@utvinternet.ie is the address to send everything to - except junk mail. If you think that this story is based on real life, then you probably can't read anyway, so I don't think that matters. Some of the characters are based on real life, but the sexualities have been altered, because I don't know their actual sexualities. If you're too young, then don't get caught - I mean! Don't read them! That's what I meant. ----------------------- I'd eventually roused Justin, JC, and Nick - who was sleeping on the sofa, I guess that the film mustn't have been as good as he had thought - and managed to get them down to breakfast. I'd decided to let Tim sleep on. Justin was still a little bit a little bit wild, but he had calmed down a lot since the night before. We were all sitting around the kitchen table, telling jokes, when Tim walked into the room. He had a coat on, and his luggage was visible through the doorway, sitting in the hall. "What's going on?" I asked, even though I could guess most of it. "I've decided to leave." He said stiffly, clearly uncomfortable with the conversation. "Have you now." I said amiably. Out of the corner of my eye I could see Justin, Nick and JC exchanging glances. They had heard the tone that was present in my voice rarely, but it was instantly recognisable. "I think that it's better for everyone if I just leave." Said Tim. "Well, I'm glad to hear that you've been doing some thinking." I said. "But I don't think that you've done enough of it." Tim's brow furrowed. "What are you talking about?" "First of all, you still haven't apologised for what you said yesterday." "What?" He asked. I cleared my throat and imitated Tim's voice, changing the pitch of my voice slightly and developing a British accent. "You two are together? If I'd known that I'd never have come here. I don't believe it." I said, and then changed back to my normal voice. "That wasn't nice, and I expect an apology." I said. Tim mumbled an apology, which I decided to accept for now. "Secondly, I don't remember saying that you could leave." I said. "I'm not asking your *permission*." Said Tim. "This isn't school. I want to go home, and that's it." "No, that's not it." I said. "And you're wrong, this is school, and I'm your teacher. I was asked to help you and I said yes, I made a commitment to teach you what I could, and that means that I'm in charge. You made a commitment to learn, and that's why you're here, and until I say so, you can't break your part of the agreement. You're staying here, whether you like it or not." I concluded, stunning Tim, whose mouth was hanging wide open. Once he'd recovered he said. "You can't keep me here!" "Looks like I'm doing a pretty good job so far." I said. "Face it, you can't use the power that you need to be able to use. You're here to learn that, so that you can help protect people who don't have your abilities. Are you so selfish as to *not* learn how to use your power? Well, you're going to learn it, with me, and until I decide that you've learnt enough you're not leaving." I said. "I don't want to stay in the same house as... as..." Said Tim, not even managing to finish his sentence. "As two gays?" I said, helping him out. "You don't have to, you can think of me as your teacher. I would have liked to become friends with you, but it's up to you. It's your choice, make the effort, or don't." Tim didn't say another word to me, just left the sitting room and went out in to the hall; I heard him picking up his bags and dragging them back to his bedroom. JC waited until he was sure that Tim was of earshot before he spoke. "Sometimes I think that you'd be much happier if you'd chosen to be a Black Mage. You've definitely missed your true calling." He said. "Speaking of Black Mages, did you find out anything about our friend from yesterday?" I asked. "Nothing, I mean, you've got some really good books in there, and they should have something, but I couldn't find a single mention of anything like what we met yesterday. I did manage to find a spell to force someone to reveal their true nature, and it's simple enough to do just in case we're not sure if someone is who they say they are." Said JC. "I'll come with you." I said. "Nick, will you stay here with Tim?" "Sure." Said Nick. "What do you want me to do?" "Just keep an eye on him, make sure he doesn't try anything stupid." "You mean stupider then trying to annoy you?" Asked Nick. I ignored the jibe and stood up. "Come on." I said. "I don't like the idea of letting this Shapeshifter thing just hang in the air." "I know what you mean." Said JC. "You just want to get into the library." Said Nick. "I swear, if they didn't force you to go out and actually *do* something once in a while you'd stay in that library, always researching, never actually using the spells that you know." "You weren't complaining when I knew the spell to get rid of those insects that had burrowed under your skin. That was an interesting vampire curse, pity we didn't get a chance to see what would happen. Let's see... how did it go... ah!" JC started chanting in Latin, the other language of magic. Nick shrieked and ran out of the room. Justin was almost doubled over laughing and I was almost as bad. Once I'd recovered I asked. "Was that really a curse?" "That depends on your point of view. Do you think a Nick with pink hair is a curse?" Responded JC. Suddenly we heard a shriek louder then the last one. "Come on! We'd better go before Nick gets down here." Said Justin. JC leapt up, grabbed our hands and said the teleportation spell just before Nick stormed into the room, a blue fireball in his hand. We appeared on the mountainside, each of us doubled over with laughter at the split second worth of viewing that we'd had of Nick's hair with it's new colour. "Come on." Gasped JC. "We've got work to do, let's get into the library." "Shouldn't you give Nick plenty of time to cool down?" Asked Justin, calming down a little, and actually taking a breath. "It should wear off in a couple of minutes, so he'll be fine then." Said JC. "I don't know... he's gonna want to get revenge, and when he puts his mind to something... and he's got our library." Said Justin, a huge grin on his face. "Maybe it was a mistake..." Said JC, a worried look on his face. Then his eyes lit up again and he laughed. "Nah, I'd do it again, just to see that look on his face one more time." "Come on." I said firmly. "I don't want to spend my entire day on the side of a mountain!" I cast the spell to open the doors and we walked inside and made our way to the main libraries, laughing and joking all the way there. Of course, a magical library wasn't the same as a normal library would be. It's full of the crackling and whispering sound of magic, people chanting spells in the specially made practise rooms, and the occasional whoosh of objects, or people flying overhead as they went to the sections that they wanted to go to. Because not all the mages and wizards and witches could fly all the shelves were only seven foot high, but they stretched off in every direction for as far as the eye could see. A job for any young student of magic, as soon as they learnt teleportation spells, was to help transport people to where they wanted to go among the huge number of shelves. "Where to JC?" I asked, seeing as he was far more familiar with the layout then I was. "The reference desk." He answered, and after seeing my stunned expression he added. "I don't know where everything is y'know!" We headed towards the reference desk, which was relatively close to the main entrance. Staffed by over a hundred goblins, who - contrary to rumour, and despite their begrudging natures - were definitely on the side of good, and whose phenomenal memory and incredible reading speed made them ideal librarians. "I suppose you want something?" Asked the goblin, the tone belaying the fact that the goblins actually enjoyed their work immensely. JC ignored the tone of voice and launched into a description of what ever it was that had attacked us. Despite itself (Goblin's don't have gender.) it looked interested. "Hmmm," it said. "I can't think of a direct reference, but Odarnack's Guide to Lore mentions something about a being able to mimic anyone, and their magic. I'm afraid that the original's preservative spells have just given out, we're still trying to replace them, but if you go to Computer number seven-seven-four-six-A, you'll be able to find it on the main database. Offhand I can't remember if it refers to any other books, but it's something." "Thank you." Said JC gratefully, knowing the goblin's nature, its helpfulness had come as a pleasant surprise. "Let me know what you find out, will you?" Asked the goblin. "I'll do that." Said JC, before leading us off. "How far away is the computer section?" Groaned Justin. We'd been walking down a winding tunnel for about 15 minutes now, going further and further into the middle of the mountain. "About five miles down this way." Said JC. "Why is it so far away?" "Because it's one of the newest sections, and they weren't going to move all the books out of the way so that they could fit it near the doors." Said JC. "And we didn't teleport because?" Complained Justin. "Because the practise rooms are on the next level down, and you should know full well that you can't teleport through them, and before you ask, yes, we'll be able to fly in a minute, as soon as we clear this low roofed section." Said JC. When we rounded the next corner the magic globes gave way to bare bulbs and there were big warning signs saying not to use magic on the walls. A magic practise area, or room, is constructed so that a student can practise casting a spell, without actually doing the damage that might be caused by one of the more powerful spells, through using a combination of magic damping spells and magic resistant materials, all you got when you successfully cast some of the most powerful magic's known to man were sparks. But the result of that was that if you tried using a magic like teleportation, the magic carrying your body through the air would bounce of the magic resistant materials, and be absorbed by the dampers, so there was a very good chance that you would die. We walked in silence through the level because when your magic is dampened, or restricted it tends to have a direct effect on your mood, depressing you and making you more sombre. Eventually the yellow warning signs gave way to blue ones, these warning about people flying and landing nearby, and to keep and eye out for someone landing on your head. It was a big junction, with at least fifty people flying in or out of one of the five huge tunnels leading off from it, one of which was directly in the middle of the floor, leading straight downwards. JC pointed straight towards the one in the middle of the ground and ran up to it and dived in. Justin shrugged his shoulders, a howling wind gathered around him and he flew downwards. I walked over to the huge hole and looked into the darkness, only accented by the occasional lights. I jumped back as I felt someone flying up towards me. As soon as they were clear I stepped off the edge and started plummeting downwards, only correcting my fall when I felt that I was going to hit someone. Gradually the frequency of the lights increased and I saw the bottom of the well. I pushed against it and touched down lightly on the smooth cold rock that was the ground. Looking around, I saw JC and Justin standing impatiently to one side. "You took your time." Said Justin. "I stopped to enjoy the sights." I said. "Where from here JC?" "It's just a couple of minutes walk down this way." He replied. We left the well through what would be considered a normal size archway, as soon as we got to the other side of it a huge low-roofed cavern, filled with row after row of computers was revealed to us. After consulting a map of where the computer that we wanted was, we headed to it. JC sat down in front of it and typed in the name of the book that we wanted. The search program located it quickly enough and within half a minute we'd the first page up on the screen. Justin and I sat down at the two computers beside JC and started talking about what to about Tim. Before we managed to reach any conclusions JC started talking. "There isn't much here, basically what the goblin already told us, but this it says something here about the 'Turned', whoever that is. And then it talks about a mage called 'Potrasis', that he'd an encounter with this 'creature of darkness'. That's all." Said JC. Sitting back in his seat heavily - clearly disappointed. "What about this mage, Potrasis?" I asked. "Won't he have kept diaries?" I asked. "Of course! What was I thinking?" Exclaimed JC. Most of the earlier mages had kept diaries of significant events, and we were encouraged to do the same by the council. He shot up from his seat and started walking quickly towards the way we came in, talking at the same time while we followed. "We'll have to go all the way over to the other end of the library, and the diaries aren't on the computers yet, so it could mean some reading - Justin, hope you won't be to shocked - come on." He said, speeding up and leaving the computer room and skirting around the bottom of the well to a large tunnel that I hadn't seen on the way in. The blue 'fly- zone' signs were up and as soon as we got past them JC jumped up. Suspended four-foot in the air, he turned around to look at us impatiently. "Come on! We don't have that much time!" He said before speeding off down the tunnel. Justin looked at me. "What's his rush?" "I dunno." I sighed. "But you know what he's like, if we don't follow him..." "I know, I know." Sighed Justin back, before doing his own, Matrix style, jump into the air and flying after JC. I drifted slowly upwards and when I was high enough I pushed backwards with considerable power and in a couple of seconds I was level with Justin. Because of the high speeds that we were travelling at we couldn't talk verbally, and I didn't like mind to mind speech, I just gestured to him and then sped up to try to catch JC. Even though I was more powerful then JC overall, he had had considerably more experience then I with telepathic abilities and when he was so focused..., Justin easily caught up with me again and I had to remind myself of the fact that he'd somehow managed to increase his power through joining with me, something that we still had to bring to the attention of the council, I told myself. I lapsed into Mind to Mind. / So./ I laughed. / You think you're a match for me?/ / I *know* I am./ He said. I looked over at the huge smile on his face and he cocked his eyebrow. I nodded in consent and then started *really* pushing myself, at the same time I pushed away from Justin, because I was wary of him pulling dirty tricks, and because he used wind to propel himself, and if you got caught up in the cone of air that formed around him when he was going fast... well - let's just say that it wouldn't be pleasant. I gradually pulled ahead, because even if he had my power, that's exactly what it was - my power. I knew that it wasn't completely suited to him, at least not yet. Over our heads, like signs on a highway, were directions and warnings that we were coming up to certain sections and they were repeated on the ground below us. Despite the fact that we'd been travelling incredibly fast, it still took us a couple of minutes to get to our exit. I slowed down and took the left branch of the tunnel, Justin right beside me. We quickly landed and JC came in a couple of seconds later. We'd passed him by and I hadn't even noticed. "God JC." Complained Justin. "I thought that you wanted to get here quickly." All JC did in response was throw Justin a sharp glance and he didn't even make a comment before striding down another corridor, this one actually corridor sized. I shot a quick look at Justin who said. "He must think this is really important! He didn't even comment!" "We'd better follow him then!" I said. We followed JC to another vast hall, this one quieter then the others, with very few people around, the diaries weren't a very popular source of information, most people choosing to look at the quick summaries that were available on the computers. We got to the relevant section and saw a shelf filled with just books on Potrasis. "The guy liked to write." Mumbled Justin. "Look at it this way." Said JC. "At least it means that we should be able to find *something* here about the thing he fought. Justin took down a random volume and glanced through it. "Look at this!" He said. "He's listed what he had for breakfast that morning!" "Just shut up and start reading." Said JC, grabbing the first three books from the shelf and handing us one each, keeping one for himself. Despite each of our phenomenal reading speeds, it was still 4 hours until Justin found what we'd been looking for. He started reading it out for us. "I'd heard a rumour that a great and devastating creature of darkness was roaming through the cold fields to the east, a creature that was able to infiltrate any group, magical or otherwise, without suspicion falling on its head. Not one to listen to idle rumour I chose to ignore it, seeing as I'd more pressing matters to handle, including the band of vampires roaming the streets of London. But then I started hearing similar reports from the great unknown lands to the west, and from the land of China. Intrigued, I decided that an investigation would be in order. I received permission from the council to do so soon after. - Now he's going into details of his trip down there, he couldn't fly *or* do teleportation spells?! I'll skip that part. - Eventually I followed the trail back to where I'd first heard the rumour originating from, a land that my oracle-friend tells me we will one day called Russia. I was pointed in the direction of a small village, which had as its head a person with great power and skill in the dark arts. When we battled I prevailed and through some clever questioning he mistakenly revealed that he'd summoned a creature of great power to ward of his many enemies. However, the creature proved to be too powerful for him and escaped. Now a broken man, the village head gave me the details that I had lacked in earlier reports. The creatures' name, translated into our language, was 'Threefold', because of the nature of its' existence. In the creature there are three separate entities. A mage returned from the dead, the 'Turned', and a third creature whose existence still remains a mystery to me. The mage must be one of power, murdered by the one who wishes to summon the creature, and subjected to certain involved and depraved rituals. The 'Turned', one who was a pure, white mage turned to the dark arts by another set of rituals and abuses. And the third, who only can appear once every thousand years, as part of the ritual, and whose true form can never be seen, but always felt, disturbing your dreams, and troubling your thoughts. Each of these components would make for a formidable opponent. But when the ritual to combine them into the creature 'Threefold' takes place each of their powers is distilled, somehow, and the resulting beast is capable of taking any shape or form that it wishes and capable of casting some of the most powerful spells known to magickind. He hinted that it was possible that after the combinations, the elements could break apart, for a while, and even not remember anything about the ceremony. He also confessed to me that there are two ways of destroying the creature. The first way, is to kill the creature itself in battle, thereby destroying all the elements of it, or by killing the Summoner, which results in the mage and the 'turned' dying, but the mysterious creature simply vanishes, and can be summoned again at a later date. While the first method is obviously infinitely preferable, I knew in my heart and mind that the power of the council would not be enough at this time to defeat a creature of such extraordinary power, and so I killed the man of evil and so stopped the creature. And while I never had to face the creature, and so I don't know if the tales of its' extreme power are true or false, my heart tells me that they are, and so I hope that no person ever comes across that creature again." After finishing Justin looked up at both of us, a very worried look on his face, and said. "I think that we should talk to Baram." ----------------------- There you are. I hope that you liked the chapter. If you did, or didn't. Let me know. E-Mail me - power@utvinternet.ie Tim.