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Post by Admin on Apr 29, 2020 2:34:06 GMT
#s://i~ibb~co/FJsDRxM/dworkin~jpg The man titters. Then giggles. "Teach you? Apprentice?"He laughs some more. Then becomes serious. "Do you not know what happens to all those I teach? Death! And worse! Look at poor Oberon, Osric, Brand and Caine, Deirdre and Mirelle. All gone! All lost due to my teachings! You would add your name to that list?"
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Post by Deleted on Apr 30, 2020 10:16:25 GMT
Dorian faces Dworkin without blinking and throws a friendly smile at him.
"I hear your guilt. But it's unfounded."
"First, you forget to mention the ones your teaching has brilliantly changed for the better. Bleys. Fiona."
"Second, all the deceased that you mention have left us for another tragic reason. Their haunting dream. Almighty for Brand. Martyrdom for Deirdre. Forgiveness for Oberon. You had nothing to do with it."
Dorian stands up and backs away from the old man. His eyes reflects his determination.
"You know my father, Gerard. Sadly, I inherited his weaknesses. I can be as stubborn as he is. Maybe more."
"I 'm gonna do everything I can for what I think is right in the present situation, with the means I have chosen. It's up to you whether you guide me or not. The fact is I'm gonna keep trying relentlessly."
"I'm certainly going to make terrible msitakes trying to do it alone. I'm certainly going to fall into the clutches of an ill-intentioned mentor. But I won't give up. And then you can add my name to your list of regrets."
"You see fit."
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Post by Admin on Apr 30, 2020 20:21:10 GMT
#s://i~ibb~co/FJsDRxM/dworkin~jpg "Bleys?! Fiona?! Do they claim to have been taught by me? Well, they could sit and listen, I'll give them that, but they lacked the instinct for applying my lessons. Still, that might be the reason why they've managed to stay alive all this time. They are alive aren't they?"
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Post by Deleted on May 2, 2020 7:59:24 GMT
Dorian is quite surpised by the question. "Last I heard, they were. And I hope they are".
"And as far as I know, They've always bragged about being your apprentices. Where else would their fabulous understanding of the mystical arts come from?"
"But let's leave it at that." Dorian is dusting his pants with a wave of his hand, and is about to leave. "I need to leave you to find out what's going on here. And fix it if I can."
He steps forward then stops. "Oh, one more thing. Why would Ygg need that much water? And what do you care? I always thought you were more of a poweful artist than a gardener..."
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Post by Admin on May 2, 2020 8:33:26 GMT
#s://i~ibb~co/FJsDRxM/dworkin~jpg "Trickery and misdirection! A couple of stage magicians at best! They should open for Droppa the next time he plays at The Flamingo!""Why not do both, Son of Gerard? Get yourself quick down to the Pattern; you remember the way, yes? Get to it and tell me what you see!"
"And Ygg? Why he's a great big tree with an extensive root system. Sadly in the arid regions he grows there isn't always enough rainfall to keep his leaves the proper - why are we discussing this now?! Get to the Pattern!'
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Post by Deleted on May 2, 2020 9:43:02 GMT
Dorian doesn't answer and obeys. Whether it was really Dowrkin or a mirage. *This madman is amazing. How could he know I was leaving to go to the Pattern down there. Does he read my mind?*
Dorian turns, incredulous, to take one last look at the old hunchback. Then, he hurries towards the Pattern room, trying to remember the path he has already taken long ago through the corridors and stairs.
Not really anxious about Dworkin's ramblings. Why should the Pattern be any different? But kind of worried about what he's about to do. *Walking the Pattern again is the only way*, Dorian thinks as he sinks into the depths of the Castle.
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Post by Admin on May 4, 2020 1:00:23 GMT
The door to the stairs leading down below Kolvir is in a passageway toward the less used area of the castle. Arriving at the door Dorian finds the two stationed guards dead, stabbed and slashed by some blade, their blood spreading across the floor.
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Post by Deleted on May 4, 2020 11:20:32 GMT
Dorian looks quickly to see if the guards have drawn their weapons, trying to put up resistance, or if they haven't had a chance.
Faced with the urgency of the situation, he charges down the stairs to the Pattern room. At the bottom of the stairs, he pauses for a few seconds to check that his personal Trumps are in his left pocket, then continues his run, cane in hand, to the heavy door.
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Post by Admin on May 6, 2020 7:51:13 GMT
The guards' weapons were half drawn when they fell so it does look like they were surprised.
The long spiralling staircase down can not be run down quickly for a misstep in the semi-darkness would result in a tumbling death down the long way. But it can be stepped down quickly.
At the bottom of the stairs, another pair of guards lay dead. Running along towards the Patternroom he finds the great door partially open, the great key dangling from the lock.
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Post by Deleted on May 6, 2020 22:21:34 GMT
Dorian passes the two corpses without stopping, but hopes that the guard who had accompanied him to the door of the Pattern room many years ago was not one of them.
Arriving near the door, he listens stealthily for a sign of activity. Pulling out the three personal cards from his pocket, Dorian concentrates on them briefly, then throws them to the ground. Gradually, silhouettes seem to emerge from them, in a shapeless mass, which alter to take on Dorian's perfect appearance. In an instant, the copies come to stand beside him, in order like the guards of the Red Queen of Wonderland.
Holding his cane firmly, Dorian enters the room, soon imitated by the three flawless doppelgängers.
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Post by Admin on May 7, 2020 2:31:13 GMT
The Pattern sits in the giant cavern as Dorian remembers it. However, there is someone on the design walking her way through. She is slowly working her way through the First Veil, sparks rising to the top of her legs and illuminating the room in flashes of pink glow.
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Post by Deleted on May 7, 2020 22:25:51 GMT
* If that person is walking the Pattern alone, the blood of Amber should be coursing through her veins. Or her stupid venture is doomed to fail.* Dorian think as he runs towards her.
*She's only at the First Veil.* Dorian recalls his own first walk. He probably still has time to catch up with her. He already knows the trial.
As she struggles with the First Veil, Dorian points angrily at her and yells « KROLAK! ». The three doppelgängers imitate him in a ridiculous pantomime.
« Take that, $?&@! », he cursed, thinking of the four guards she didn't give a chance to. Dorian knows a loss of coordination at such a critical time could kill her. He's taking a quick look in an attempt to briefly recognize her but he's not even waiting to see if his target twitches, steps back, or collapses, pushed back by the Veil. Dorian runs to the Pattern to go after her.
Arriving in front of it, Dorian plunges his hand into his pocket and takes out two English sweets. He unwraps them and brings them to his mouth. Dorian knows the endurance ordeal that awaits him. A little sugar will give him a healthy energy boost.
Dorian takes a deep breath and then takes off. A shower of sparks rises up beneath his feet. One. Two... three... He feels the tingling in his legs, and static electricity stirs up his blonde hair.
Behind him, cracklings and the smell of burning flesh indicate that the stupid doppelgängers are on the trail.
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Post by Admin on May 10, 2020 5:54:42 GMT
After a dozen steps along the Pattern, Dorian hears a man's voice call out.
"What are you hoping to accomplish, fool? Impede her in any way and I will kill you."
To look over at the person speaking is a distraction to Dorian's concentration and may cause him to misstep in his walk.
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Post by Deleted on May 10, 2020 15:48:44 GMT
Surprised by the man's voice, Dorian plagues Dworkin inwardly. If that's what it was all about, couldn't it be clearer? We'd have brought the whole guard down. Damn facetious hunchback.
Left turn. Two steps in a straight line.
But Dorian's not on his trial run here. He knows he has to stay focused on the walk, especially if he wants to catch up with this mysterious competitor before the final veil.
The sparks are now flying all around Dorian. His footsteps are getting heavy. Interlacing. One... Two... Three... Straight line.
Dorian's ignoring the man's ranting outside the Pattern. It could be anyone anyhow, from Benedict to Coy.
But his threats gave Dorian valuable information. For one thing, if the woman isn't alone and in need of assistance, then she's not that experienced. Maybe even a novice.
Also, the man's worried enough to threaten Dorian. So he's afraid that Dorian might actually succeed in impeding her!
Of course it could be an honest attempt to walk the Pattern. A misunderstanding, unrelated to the explosion. But if that's the case, why kill half a dozen palace guards in preparation?
Yes. The man is afraid.
Galvanized, Dorian feels a surge of energy and sets off again on the trail, like a shark rising at high speed from the depths of the ocean to close his jaw on his exhausted prey.
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Post by Admin on May 11, 2020 22:32:46 GMT
Walking the Pattern proceeds as Dorian remembered. And remembers - life in Victoria, in his mansion, the well-stocked wine cellar, bright lights blinding him while tied to a chair, scalpels and bone saws, unidentified voices spoken by people outside his field of vision, a bright flash of a section of the Pattern and something not the Pattern searing his retinas. Then the images pass and he is back amid the usual spray of sparks as he walks along the glowing path.
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