"Please, bring the boy in," the aging healer stepped away from his door and let his two visitors pass.... a woman and a young boy who's leg was held in a splint. He couldn't have been more than ten years old.
The healer looked out at the sky and squinted at the setting sun. It would be dark soon. Not that that meant anything in this part of the valley. No one bothered anyone else. It'd been so long since he'd treated a sword or knife wound that he'd almost forgotten how.

"It's my son," said the woman. "He fell from a horse and broke his leg. I bound it as best I could and came here immediately."

"And 'tis good you did, Emma" said Sejwan. "Come." He helped the woman get the boy to a bed near the window. Sejwan began undoing the splint, and the boy moaned in pain.

"Oh, Paul," said the woman. "It'll be okay."

"Mamma... mamma, it hurts, mamma..."

"Shhh," said Sejwan. He waves his hands over the boy's leg and murmured a few words. "Shhh.... does that feel better?"

The boy nodded.

"You healed him?" said the woman.

"Oho, no. Not quite that easy. I merely deadened the pain for a few moments. I have to take a look at the injury before I can heal it."

Sejwan walked over to a small wheeled table in the corner. He pulled it over to the bed and began searching through the numerous items and instruments that rested upon it.

"Where'd I put that lens... hmmm...."

Emma sat down on the edge of the bed and ran her fingers though her boy's head. A colorful plant on the window sill caught her eye. It was a single stalk with a number of multicolored leaves and a tiny bud at the very top.

"Is that a medicinal plant?"

"Eh? What?" He turned around to see what she was talking about. "Oh! Oh, yes. It's a rais-flower Helps pull poison from the body. Very rare, that. Usually don't grow in this climate, but I had a druid enchant that one so it'll grow anywhere. OH!" the doctor took a large flat lens from the table. "Here it is. If you'll excuse me, Emma."

Emma got up and stood by the doctor as he fixed the lens over his eye. He squinted at the boy's leg... and saw the bones as clearly, as if the skin and muscle weren't even there.

"Not a complete break," said Sejwan "But it'll need some time to heal. I can speed that up if you like."

"Will you, Sejwan? Please... please help my boy."

"All right then. It's a simple spell..."

Sejwan removed the lens and placed it back on the table amid the other instruments. He held his hands over the boy's leg at the spot where he'd seen the break.

"This might tickle a little bit, Paul."

The boy nodded bravely.

Sejwan concentrated. He repeated the healing words he'd been taught years ago... words to accelerate the healing of bones.

"Qieugdex Haeosyj Wigrumi Itlequ... Haeosyj Wigrumi... Wigrumi Itlequ..."

He felt the power flow into him. It was both cool and warm at the same time. It flowed down his arms and collected in his hands. More and more power gathered, and then it cascaded downward from his palms like a fine rain. A healing rain. It penetrated the boy's skin and sank into his bones, where it excited the natural healing process.

Paul squirmed on the bed. The numb-spell kept the pain from his mind, but he could still feel some of the movement of his bones... feel the cool warmth that was healing him. It didn't feel bad; it was just... strange.

Sejwan continued to chant...

"...Haeosyj Wigrumi Itlequ..."

Suddenly, a wave of energy washed over the entire cabin. It disturbed nothing on the physical plane, but the disruption still left deadly chaos in its wake. Sejwan felt his healing spell warp and change even as he tried to control it. The energy surged through him like a hurricane... fifty... a hundred... no, a THOUSAND times more powerful than it had been a mere instant before. It blasted through his body and down into the boy.

Paul gasped as the now-chaotic healing force hit him. He felt his bones creaking... then vibrating... then they were MOVING! GROWING!

"MAMMA! MAMMA MAMMA something's WRONG! IT HURTS!"

"Sejwan, what's happening!"

"I... I don't know!" Sejwan tried to cancel the spell, but he couldn't! "I CAN'T STOP IT!"

"MAMMAAAA!"

A jagged spike erupted from the boy's thigh, splattering blood everywhere. It was bone. And it was still growing.

"AIIEIIIIAAA!!" Paul screamed

"PAUL!"

"I CAN'T STOP IT!" The healer tried to move away from the boy, but the surge of power had him rooted to the spot!

The ugly shard of randomly-growing bone was quickly joined by others. They burst from his flesh two and three at a time, sticking out in all directions. At first the effect was confined to his injured leg, but soon the spikes burst from his arms and chest! His skin and muscle were shredded as his bones came alive within him!

"HELLLLLP!!!" Sejwan screamed. The boy had long since passed out, and Emma was too hysterical to even draw a full breath.

But the plant changed that.

The colorful plant on the sill shuddered violently, and then burst out of its clay pot. The leaves ballooned, swelling to more than fifty times their normal size. New stalks lashed out from the base... waving in the air like tentacles. They grew as well... as thick as a man's arm and still growing!

The flower-bud on the top erupted into a pair of snapping jaws... right in front of Sejwan's face.

The healer opened his mouth-

CRUNCH!

But the entire upper half of his body was gone before he could make a sound.

Emma screamed, which only seemed to draw the attention of the plant. Two tentacles shot towards her. She turned to run, but both of them caught her around the waist and pulled her off of her feet. It dragged her across the floor. She squirmed and fought, but more and more tentacles came for her. Behind her, the plant's roots had reached Paul's shredded body and were tunneling into it as if it were soil.

Emma's flailings upset the doctor's table. Instruments flew everywhere. She reached for a knife and started slicing the pulpy tentacles that held her. In the corner of her eye, she saw the doctor's enchanted lens... it was glowing. Glowing brightly. Glowing VERY brightly. Some of the other instruments were doing the same thing... pulsing with light.

Emma sliced enough of the tentacles away to free herself. Leaving what remained of the doctor and her son behind, she ran for the door.

Just then, glowing lens shattered-

Emma didn't even feel the explosion. The fireball incinerated the doctor's cabin, leaving nothing behind but a deep, charred crater...

---

"Damn. I knew I shoulda bought that map in the last town."

The burly adventurer stood at the edge of a high cliff and looked down at the valley far below him. His broad back was to the forest and the thin winding trail that had brought him here. Before him was a sheer drop of more feet than he cared to count. His clothes were torn and dusty from days of travel. He had ripped the sleeves from his shirt on purpose... it accentuated his muscular arms. All of the other tears and rips were less intentional. His skin was pale despite having spent many days on the road. It contrasted sharply with the short, jet black hair that topped his head and framed his face in the form of a scraggly goatee. He had a sword on his hip and a large pack slung across one bare shoulder. The leather sack held what remained of his rations, some rope, blankets, and various other camping supplies. Everything but a map. The sun was just setting in the western sky, giving him just enough light to see that he was completely and utterly lost. Again.

"Damn," he repeated. He kicked a loose stone off of the edge, and watched it disappear from sight.

Actually, Kultra knew exactly where he was, and he knew the exact location of his destination. It was below him. The oddly-named town of Xemlt was a major shipping port along the River Tayne. He could see it sprawled out along the river, stretching out on either side of the waterway like the wings of a resting butterfly.

Xemlt. Home of sailing and rock-climbing. And hopefully a few good taverns. Unfortunately, Kultra had no idea how to get there. The trail he'd been following meandered through the woods like a maze, and Kultra had been relying on his non-existent sense of direction to get him to the town. He looked down and saw the foolishness of that decision. He didn't have the slightest idea how to get from the cliffs to the town without jumping. And since he didn't happen to have wings at the moment, jumping wasn't an option.

"Guess I'll follow this trail back to the last branch," he sighed. The branch was several hours ago. It would be dark by the time he reached it. Kultra lit a torch and turned back the way he had come.

Darkness quickly descended, and Kultra started searching for a place to camp. He found a clearing not to far off of the trail, but before he could even shrug the heavy pack off of his shoulders, trouble found him.

There was a rustling in the woods. Far away, but getting closer.

Suddenly a blast of fire lit up the sky to the west. Someone screamed. Someone else shouted. A second blast of flame shattered the darkness... this one was lower, and it set the tops of a few trees aflame.

The rustling in the woods grew closer... and became SEVERAL rustlings. All headed towards him.

"What he hell!?!" said Kultra. With a smooth, fluid motion, he pulled his longsword from its sheath. He turned in the direction of the approaching... whatever...

"AAAAAAA!"

A man burst into the clearing. He was bloody from numerous sword wounds, and the upper left portion of his body was blistered and blackened with fresh burns. His face was so charred and bloody that Kultra could barely recognize it as human. He wore an empty scabbard on his belt, and instead of a sword, he was clasping a large scroll in his right hand. He had an arrow sticking out of his right shoulder.

Adrenaline and fear were the only things keeping the man alive... and those ran out less than a second after he entered the clearing. He collapsed, and Kultra ran to his side even as the noises in the woods drew closer.

"...help... me..." he gasped.

"Who are you? What's out there?"

"Take it.... " the man thrust the scroll up at Kultra. The parchment had somehow escaped being burnt by whatever had scorched the man carrying it. "please... north... northeast of town... rose... rose grove...path...through the rocks...embrace... embrace the stone... tell them.... tell..."

"What?" said Kultra. He took the scroll, but had no idea what the man was babbling about.

"...beware.... beware.... invisible...." the man died with a sigh.

"Huh?"

Suddenly three men emerged from the woods. They had swords drawn, and even in the dim moonlight, Kultra could tell that one of the blades had fresh blood on it. They had no armor, but each wore black pants a loose-fitting green shirt... both devoid of ensignia. Each was also wearing some kind of mask or rag tied around his head, concealing his face.

Kultra backed away from the dead man and glared at the newcomers. They certainly didn't appear friendly.

"You want a piece of me?" said Kultra. His eyes shifted from one to the other... watching for signs of a charge. "Three against one," he said. "That's almost fair odds."

One of the men glanced at the scroll in Kultra's hands. Then all three of them backed away towards the trees.

"Ahh.... my reputation precedes me," said Kultra. "I'm sure your families will appreciate your decis-"

"TORCH THE CLEARING!" shouted a female voice from the woods.

"OH SHI-"

FWWOOOOM!!!!!

Kultra had already been in motion when the fireball hit... if he hadn't been, the fiery explosion would have turned him to ashes. He threw himself to one side and rolled into the woods. Searing heat washed over him, blistering the skin on his back. Sword still clasped firmly in his hand, Kultra stood and ran... trying to distance himself from whatever mage was throwing fire at him.

Suddenly he remembered the arrow in the dead man's shoulder. Kultra quickly changed direction-

THUCK!

An arrow hit a tree just as he dodged past it. Kultra swerved again, and felt something whiz past his ear.

He didn't bother looking behind him. That would only earn him an arrow through the eye. Kultra heard movement to either side.... movement and shouting.

The swordsmen.

He could handle them, and maybe avoid getting skewered by the archer, but the addition of a mage of unknown ability swung the odds decidedly against him. As much as he'd been itching for a good fight recently, running was his best option now... at least until he figured out what he was up against.

Kultra threw his torch into the trees so the light wouldn't lead his pursuers to him. A second later, the area where he'd tossed the torch erupted into flame as a fireball hit it. Kultra couldn't see where it came from.

Whoever that mage is, he sure does like fire.

Running in the dark, Kultra came across the trail totally by accident. He picked a direction and ran as fast as he could, zigzagging at random to spoil the archer's aim. A green-shirted swordsman burst from the woods just behind him. He swung his sword, but Kultra was just out of reach. For a moment he thought about turning and fighting. Killing one of the swordsmen would even things up quite a bit... it would enable Kultra to use his own magic to deal with whoever was left. But he didn't know if it was five people or an entire army behind him. He couldn't risk it.

...thwip!

An arrow sailed past Kultra's arm, nicking his bare shoulder.

Kultra leapt back into the trees.

"THERE!" shouted the female voice. Kultra rolled to his feet and started running. He'd taken two steps when-

FWOOOOM!!!

Yet another fireball exploded just a few feet behind him. The rush of air and flames blew Kultra off of his feet and carried him forward several yards. The pack on his back shielded him from some of the fire's wrath, but now that pack... as well as Kultra's hair and pants... was on fire. His sword fell from his fingers as he hit the ground. He rolled several times to extinguish his burning garments. His blistered skin screamed in protest as the rough ground scraped against it. On his feet once more, Kultra ran through the trees. Branches slapped him. Every few steps an arrow whizzed past him. He could still hear swordsmen pursuing... and getting closer.

Kultra thought about the cliff merely in a silent hope that he wasn't running towards it.

Which happened to be exactly what he was doing.

He burst from the trees and barely skidded to a halt inches from the edge.

"Uh-oh!"

A swordsman erupted from the trees and swung his blade at Kultra's neck. Two more arrived as Kultra was dodging the first man's strike.

"Oh, well..." said Kultra. "Guess I'll be getting to town sooner than I thought."

As the swordsman slashed again, Kultra swiveled, caught the man's arm, turned and twisted the arm back behind the man. Then, shoving the swordsman before him, he ran... right over the cliff.

"AAAAAAAAAAA!!!!" the swordsman screamed into the oncoming wind.

"Oh shut up!"

Kultra quickly snapped the man's neck, killing him.

As the man's soul left his body, the binding energy... the force that held body and soul together... flowed into Kultra. It flowed like ice-water in his veins. It soaked into his body... his muscles... his cells... energizing them. Rejuvenating them. And making them malleable.

As the ground rushed up towards him, Kultra formed a single image in his mind. His body responded instantly. His eyes darkened and enlarged, causing the landscape around him became as clear as day despite the darkness. The muscles on his back rippled and bulged. New tissue formed.... bone and cartilage. Tendon and skin.

Within a second of the swordsman's death, the transformation it caused was complete.

A pair of black, leathery wings sprouted from Kultra's back. Kultra kept the wings folded for several seconds, letting his fall carry him further away from the cliff. The ground got closer... and closer... He could make out every detail of the sharp rocks below him. Then, at the last minute, he spread his wings. They caught the rushing air, and Kultra took flight. He swooped across the rocky landscape like a hawk. The very tips of his toes touched the water as he soared over it. He arced upward to gain some altitude, and turned toward town. It was only a few minutes away; he'd reach it long before his wings got tired.

He felt the wind rustling something in his hand. The scroll. He'd managed to hold onto it through the chase, and despite the fireball that singed him, it was still unscathed. He stuffed the scroll into his pants and glanced up at the far, dark cliffs. Ordinarily he would have been unable to see a thing, but his new, supernaturally sharp eyes picked out three shapes standing on the edge... looking down... searching for him.

"I don't know what this was about," said Kultra as he cruised toward town. "But I think somebody just started a fight I'm gonna have to finish..."

---

---

Kultra strolled into crowded old tavern and waited in the doorway for his eyes to adjust to the light. He folded his wings close around his body, and to the casual observer, it looked as if he were wearing a large black, leather cloak. Of course, he got more than a few casual glances from the patrons. There were lots of them. The tavern was nearly full, and everyone seemed to stop what they were doing and watch him as he made his way to the only empty table. It was against the wall, well out of everyone's way.
"What'daya have?" said the overly-plump barmaid. Kultra pulled two coins from his money pouch. Fortunately his pouch hadn't been in his backpack, which was probably still smoldering in the woods far, far above them. A few gold coins, a dagger, and the half-burnt clothes on his body were the only belongings he had left. He tossed a single gold coin on the table.

"As much of your cheapest ale as that will buy," he said. "Bring it all at once... no need for you to be walking back and forth to the bar every two minutes."

"That ain't much," replied the barmaid as she picked up the coin.

"It'll do for now."

The waitress eyed Kultra's 'cloak,' and when she realized that they were actually wings, she gulped and shuffled away quickly. She vanished into the kitchen, and a second later a well-dressed man walked out into the tavern. At first Kultra thought the owner was coming to throw him out, but instead, the man walked to the opposite side of the room. There was a small raised stage there, and he stepped up onto it to address the crowd.

"Ladies and Gentlemen..." said the man in a loud, pompous voice.

"eh?" Kultra looked around. There weren't any ladies in the tavern besides the barmaids, and the only 'gentleman' he could see was the man on the stage. "Where does he think HE is?"

"...tonight, it is my pleasure to welcome our very own local talent.... Sanya!"

"Ahhh... a show." Kultra leaned back in his chair as the man left the stage. Some of the barmaids dimmed the lamps, reducing the light in the tavern by at least half. A single lute-player took a chair beside the stage and got ready to play.

And then SHE came in.

She must have entered through a back door, because she appeared next to the bar as if by magic. Her dress was tight and smooth... hugging her many, many curves as if it had been brushed onto her body by an artist. The cut was low and the split was high, and she fit it so perfectly that half the mouths in the tavern hung open with awe. She walked sloooooowly to the stage amid a hail of whistles and cat-calls. Her hips... perfectly shaped and sized... rocked back and forth with each step of her long, luscious legs. A few unruly men reached for her as she slid past their table, but like a woman of true class, she ooozed out of range at the last second, and walked onward as if it had never happened.

She stepped onto the stage like a goddess approaching her throne... reaching out with one long leg... pausing to show it off... and then stepping up with the other. She stood in the center and faced the crowd. Long golden hair fell around her face like a halo.

The place fell so silent that Kultra swore he could hear his hair growing.

No one, not even Kultra, took so much as a single breath from the minute she took to the stage.

Then the musician started strumming his lute... a slow, soulful melody.

The woman... Sanya... opened her lips and sang. It was a song Kultra had heard before, but he had never heard it sung so well... or seen it sung by someone so beautiful. The words radiated from her lips like sunshine. Kultra couldn't help but stare and listen with rapt attention.

"Here ya go," said the barmaid as she brought his drinks. Kultra was so enraptured that he didn't even notice that there were significantly fewer drinks than he had hoped.

"That woman," he said. "Who is she?"

"Sanya," replied the barmaid. "She's started singing here a few nights a week. Good thing, too... business is booming since she started entertaining."

"Yeah, I'll bet." Kultra downed a tankard of cheap, watery ale. He forgot the taste as soon as it was past his tongue... his mind and senses were already occupied by the beauty on the stage. He could have been drinking fine Champaign or warm dishwater and he wouldn't have noticed either way.

Sanya finished her song and sang two more. At the end of the last one, she smiled and waved at the crowd. Everyone in the place leapt to their feet and cheered. Kultra stood and started to make his way to the stage. He had to meet this woman.

"Hello there, stranger..." someone's hand clamped down on Kultra's shoulder. Kultra turned, and found himself looking at a tall, older man. He was wearing a sword on his hip, and stood like a fighter... loose but ready.

"Who are you?" said Kultra. He glanced at the stage. The woman was still there, chatting and graciously accepting tips from some of the patrons.

"Calloway," said the man. "I run the town guard around here. Noticed a new face, thought I'd welcome you to our town."

"Uh-huh," replied Kultra. "In other words, don't cause trouble. I get it."

"No, no... you misunderstand-"

"Riiiiight. I've been through enough towns to know the routine. With a town this size, scarin' strangers must be a full-time job, huh Calloway? Well don't worry. As long as nobody bothers me, I won't bother them," Kultra decided not to mention the 'trouble' he'd encountered on his way into town. At least not until he found out more of what was going on. That would have to wait until tomorrow, however. Kultra had other intentions for tonight. "If you'll excuse me..."

Kultra turned back to the stage, but it was now empty. Sanya was gone.

"Damn," mumbled Kultra.

"Gotta be quick to catch Sanya," said Calloway. "She's a fast one."

"You still here?"

"Just thought I'd let you know that there's an inn nearby. Down the street to the left. Cheap, but clean. Might want to give it a try if you're spending the night. Are you spending the night?"

"Who's askin?"

"Just trying to be friendly. Oh, and we've got lots of shops around. Most of 'em open at dawn. Might be able to find yourself some new clothes pretty cheap."

"eh?"

"Yours appear to be burnt."

"What? Oh. Oh, yeah. Got careless with the campfire."

"Didn't seem to burn your cloak, though. That's a very interesting cloak, by the way."

"Uh-huh." Kultra didn't trust Calloway. He asked too many questions. He figured it was best to get back to his drinks before Calloway made him hurt somebody... like Calloway. "I'd better get back to my beer before someone walks off with it."

"See ya around, stranger." said Calloway as Kultra walked back to his table.

"Yeah," grunted Kultra. He downed his drinks and watched Calloway leave the tavern. The place emptied out quickly after Sanya's number, and within a few minutes, Kultra was one of the few people left. He finished his ale and debated whether or not to order more. He decided against it. His gold was limited, and he wanted to sleep indoors in a comfortable bed instead of in a cold alley somewhere.

He left the tavern and wandered around until he found the inn that Calloway mentioned. The innkeeper was an old woman. Kultra thought it was unusual for her to be up so late, but he wasn't complaining. He paid for a room, and she gave him a tiny key.

"Upstairs, on the right," she said.

"eh?" Kultra looked down at the key. It was barely larger than his fingernail. "What kinda cheap locks you have that has a key this small?"

"Don't you know anything?" spat the old woman. "Locks are enchanted. Good magic, too. Got the guildmaster to do it himself."

"Guildmaster?"

"Yeah, Louis. Used to run the mages guild, back before his accident. That new fella they got over there don't know squat, if ya ask me."

"Hmmm..." Kultra thought back to his encounter in the woods. It was definitely a mage throwing fireballs at him.... but was there some connection to this town? Meanwhile, the old lady kept talking.

"That's why you're hear right? To study at the guild?" The woman eyed Kultra's wings and large, dark eyes with interest. "You're a mage, right? Come here ta study?"

"No," said Kultra. "Just passin through."

"Well.... g'night." The woman shuffled away.

Kultra walked up the stairs and found his room. The lock was a huge iron monstrosity, but all he had to do was touch it with the tiny key and it opened with a loud.

*CLUNK!*

He walked in and looked around. The furnishings were sparse. A bed. A table. One window. A chamberpot. And one strange lamp. The lamp was shaped like a common oil lamp, but it had no oil That didn't stop it from emitting enough light to fill the room, however. There was a ball of magical light just under the shade. When Kultra turned the tiny adjustment knob, the globe grew dim. Kultra turned it all the way down and it went out altogether.... he wouldn't need light thanks to his sensitive eyes. Even in the dark, everything looked as if it were daylight. True to Calloway's word, everything was spotless. Kultra closed and locked the door, and gave the latch a good, solid pull to test its sturdiness. It seemed more than strong enough to keep someone from forcing it open, and the door itself was of hard, thick oak. It didn't fit properly into the frame, though. It had a one inch gap between the bottom of the door and the floor.

"Hell, it's not like anybody's getting' in through there."

Kultra undressed, and as he did, the scroll he'd received from the man in the woods fell out of his pants.

"Huh? Hmmm..."

Kultra picked it up and looked at it. The parchment was coated with some waxy substance, and somehow it felt thicker than it looked. It had survived being burned by the same fire that torched his clothes without so much as a scorch mark. Magic was obviously involved. Unfortunately, Kultra had no idea what was written on it. When he opened it, all he found was a jumble of unreadable symbols.

"Must be some kinda code." Kultra tossed the scroll over in a corner, and had forgotten about it before it even hit the floor. He lay down, pulled the sheets over him, and was fast asleep in just a few seconds.

Several hours later, all the beer Kultra had consumed finally caught up with him. His bladder was painfully full, and the urge to relieve himself grew stronger than his desire to remain asleep. He got up, did his business in the chamberpot, and had just got back into bed when he noticed a movement by the door. Actually, it was on the other side of the door... a shadow barely visible through the large gap at the bottom.

It looked like someone was standing outside... listening.

Kultra kept his eyes focused on the door while he reached for the dagger he'd stuffed under his pillow.

Whoever it was, they didn't move for a long time. Kultra was about to attribute the whole thing to a hallucination when the shadow vanished, then reappeared. It was different now... wider... covering almost the entire gap.

Like someone laying down to look under the door.

Kultra tightened his grip on the knife.


A hand appeared. Thanks to his light-sensitive eyes, Kultra could see it clearly. It was most definitely a hand... four male fingers thrusting under the door and reaching into the room.

What the hell? thought Kultra. What do they think they're doing?

The fingers wiggled and came further into the room. Kultra considered sneaking over to the door and pinning the intruding hand to the floor with his blade. He was on the verge of doing that very thing when he noticed something...

...the hand was still coming.

Now, an entire ARM was under the door! And it was quickly followed by what looked like a shoulder! The flesh stretched and contorted to fit through the one-inch opening. Whoever or whatever it was must have had no bones at all!

A second hand appeared not too far from the first, and soon it, and the arm that followed, were stretching across the floor like a snake. A hairy bulge oozed under the door... the beginnings of a human head!

This definitely looks like trouble, thought Kultra.

Knowing that this strange intruder could only be a thief or an assassin, Kultra sat up in the bed and prepared to pounce. His movements must have alerted the intruder. The flexible head thrust into the room and looked up at him... the neck still squeezing under the one-inch gap under the door.

Two normal-looking eyes glared at Kultra for an instant. Then, knowing that his element of surprise was spoiled, the intruder burst into the room, streaming through the door gap like... like nothing Kultra had ever seen before.

Kultra leapt and made a powerful downward stab with his dagger. He was trying to catch the man in the back, but he was too slow. The incredibly flexible intruder shot past him, and a long, spindly arm reached back and wrapped around Kultra's neck like a flesh-colored snake!

"WHA-!"

Kultra slashed with his dagger. The arm angled up and over the blade, and then looped around Kultra's arm like a rope. The arm drew tight, and suddenly Kultra couldn't breath or move his right arm. Kultra tossed the dagger into the air and caught it with his free hand. He tried again to cut himself a chunk of the intruder, but now the man's OTHER arm came for him.

Before he could blink twice, the arm had looped around his left wrist twice, and around his left ankle five or six times. The man's hand closed over Kultra's and started trying to pull his fingers away from the knife. Kultra's grip held firm. Then the intruders fingers started oozing between his own. As hard as he squeezed, he couldn't stop the man's gooey flesh from slipping in and prying his grip loose!

"...A-ACK!" Kultra struggled for breath. He twisted hard to the left, trying to throw his attacker off balance. It didn't work... the ropey arms just gave him more slack while still keeping a firm grip on his own appendages.

"UNGGGH!" Kultra felt the blade slipping from his hand... and he felt his consciousness slipping away entirely from lack of air. Suddenly, Kultra unfurled his black, leathery wings. Flying was out of the question in such a small place, but that wasn't what Kultra had in mind. The intruder was just within range... Kultra brought both wings around and smacked him as hard as he could!

At the same time, Kultra pulled hard with his left hand, hoping the surprise attack would loosen the attacker's grip. It worked! Kultra untangled his arm even as the man yanked Kultra's left leg from under him. He fell with a hard thud, and he felt the delicate bones in one of his wings snap. Ignoring it, Kultra slashed hard at his own throat. The sharp blade sliced a deep, long gouge along the man's arm.

"ARRRRGH!!!"


The limbs loosened further... and with a twist and a roll, Kultra was free!

Kultra rolled and kicked, bringing the heel of his foot to the man's head.

THUMP!

It was like kicking a loosely-packed sandbag, but the intruder felt the blow! The man reeled for a second, allowing Kultra to get to his feet. Kultra let loose with a series of kicks to the man's malleable body and head. The intruder stumbled backwards, but it was obvious that Kultra wasn't doing any serious damage. After all... the man had no bones to break!

The man ducked under one kick, spun, and made an amateurish punch. Kultra thrust his arm out instinctively to block it, and then counterstruck with his dagger. He realized his mistake even before the edge of his blocking hand contacted the man's rubbery flesh. The man's arm again looped around his forearm and drew tight. The dagger missed its mark entirely as the man's torso elongated and stretched out of the way at the last instant.

Caught by the wrist once more, Kultra pulled back hard, then rushed forward and plowed into the man. His momentum carried them into the wall, but by the time they hit, the intruder had stretched most of his body out from in front of Kultra..

"Ungh..." Kultra grunted as his forehead hit the wall. He saw nothing but stars for a moment, but he spun and slashed blindly anyway. The blade sliced through something.

"AHHG!"

Kultra's vision cleared... just in time to see a bloody fist hurtling toward his face.

THUD!

Kultra took the hit in stride. He transferred the knife to his free hand and stabbed... and missed. The man was stretching again... his body growing long an thin as it wrapped completely around him four... five... six times! Kultra managed to keep one arm from being pinned to his side, but that arm was quickly assaulted by both of the intruder's ropey appendages. Kultra slashed with the knife. Suddenly, the man's body grew tight around him.

"HHH!HH!!!!!!"

All the air rushed out of Kultra's lungs as the man squeezed him tight. Kultra kept trying to hit something with his blade, but it was like wrestling a coil of rope... the more he moved, the more his only free arm became entangled.

And... once again... he couldn't breath.

The man constricted again. Hard!

"NNNNNN!!!!"

Kultra hit the floor. The intruders head... suspended by a rubbery, finger-thin neck, appeared upside-down over Kultra's face. The man was ugly, and his breath reeked.

"Where is the scroll," he hissed.

"NNNN!!!"

He loosened his grip just a tiny bit. Kultra gasped for air.

"Where is the scroll!"

Kultra told the man to go fornicate with himself. Which, given his abilities, he was probably able to do quite well... if he was into that sort of thing.

"NNNN!!!" Kultra grunted as the man squeezed him once more.

"I can crack every bone in your body," said the man. "I can do it fast or slow. The choice is yours."

The grip loosened once more.

"The scroll. Where is it?"

Kultra repeated his earlier instructions about self-fornication. But this time, he rolled violently to the right. He ended up getting more and more tangled, but the squirming of the man's head as he rolled over on top of it brought a smile to Kultra's face.

It vanished however, when he felt the fingers oozing into his grip once again. This time, the man managed to dislodge Kultra's only weapon and toss it away.

"Now," said the man... after he'd pulled his head out from under Kultra. "You were about to tell me where that scro.... hmmmm..."

The man looked into a far corner of the room, where Kultra had thrown the scroll earlier.

"AHA!"

A single long, thin arm snaked across the floor towards the scroll. It left Kultra's arm a little less entangled.

"NNNNGGGGGRRRRRRAAAA!!!!" Kultra put all of his strength into one last effort. He flexed his muscles... even those in his wings. The man squeezed back, easily containing him. "NRRRRRRRRR!!!"

Kultra rolled again, carrying the man a bit further away from the scroll. It didn't make any difference, other than to momentarily free his arm and to bring Kultra face to face with the...

... chamberpot.

"C'MERE!"

Kultra grabbed the man's head-

SPLOOSH!

And stuffed it face-first into the full chamberpot.

Kultra's fist forced man's malleable head right the opening. Kultra braced himself as the intruder's body tightened around his.

"UNNNGH!"

But he kept his grip, and even forced the intruder's head and flexible neck even further into the pot.

SPLASH!!

It was now entirely submerged, and Kultra refused to let up even as his own bones groaned in protest. The pot's contents bubbled and splashed as the man struggled against Kultra's grip.

"RRRRRGHH!"

Neither man could breath, and they both struggled for life. A pair of hands appeared at Kultra's head and started clawing blindly at his face.

"RRRRRR!!!"

Kultra's face turned red. His ribs hurt. He ignored the man's increasingly desperate attempts to claw his face off. He had other things to worry about... He was suffocating even as he drowned the intruder. It was just a matter of who's body would give out first... who's lungs could hold the most air...

"RRRGRGRGRG!!" Kultra's muscles trembled.

Suddenly the man... who's body was wrapped around Kultra's like a giant boa constrictor... gave a single violent, crushing convulsion.

"NNNGH!!!"

Kultra felt something... several things... snap and pop in his body. But then the pressure vanished as the man went limp.

Kultra gasped, forcing air into his lungs despite the pain of his cracked ribs. He kept the stranger's head submerged, and was finally rewarded with a jolt of energy as the man expired. Kultra absorbed it, and used it to not only repair his broken bones and bruised muscles, but to change his body entirely. His skin turned a light shade of gray, becoming thick and tough like leather. The wings sank into his back and vanished. All over his body, muscles bulged and grew to two or even three times their previous size. Bones thickened to support the added weight, and lengthened to give Kultra more height. At the end, Kultra was a hulking 7' tall gray-skinned human with broad shoulders and arms like tree-trunks.

"Thanks for the recharge."

He quickly retrieved his belongings... including the scroll. He was naked, and his clothes wouldn't fit him any more, so he fashioned a crude robe from the bed-sheet. Before he left, he looked down at the intruder. He lay strewn across the floor like a coil of rope caught in a whirlwind. His head was still stuffed completely into the chamberpot.

"Guess he got pissed off," mumbled Kultra. "What a way to go."

He turned toward the door. Chances were, the intruder didn't come here alone. He probably had backup, and they were probably waiting in the hallway right outside that door.

Good.

"Time for Kultra to do what Kultra does best..."

WHAM!!

Kultra reduced the door to splinters with one kick.

He barged out into the hall and ducked as one swordsman tried to take his head off. Kultra buried his dagger in the man's throat even as the sword sank into the wall.

There were two more men in the hallway, and another just coming up the stairs. All were dressed like the swordsmen who'd chased him in the wood earlier... black pants, green shirts, and rags over their faces.

Kultra grabbed the dead man's sword and charged the two men. They rushed to meet him, thinking that since they outnumbered him, he'd be easy prey. Not so. With but one sword, Kultra blocked, parried, blocked again, and send one man stumbling backwards with a well-placed kick to the lower chest. Kultra spun and slashed the third man open from left shoulder to right kidney.

Now the first man charged, along with the man on the stairs. Kultra grabbed another sword and waded into their rain of strikes. Hard metal rang out as sword met sword, and the hallway sang with the sounds of combat.

"Two against one," said Kultra with a smile that grew wider with each swordstrike. "That's insanely unfair... to you!"

"BAH!" spat one of the men. Kultra thought the man may have been having trouble breathing, so he gave him a new mouth... opening a long slash in his throat with the tip of his sword. "ACK!" The man fell, leaving the final swordsman to fight alone.

"You and me," said Kultra. "Soon to be just me."

"DIE!" The man charged. It was a skillful, though foolish move. Kultra stepped to one side and blocked the three quick blow that followed. He parried, and the men danced apart for the merest second before closing on each other once more.

CLANK!

CLANK!

Kultra spun and slashed, expecting his opponent to block. The man complied, but Kultra's bulging muscles won out. The man's sword tumbled to the floor... the wrist that was holding it was now broken. Kultra grabbed the man's arm and brought his fist to the elbow in a hammer-fist strike. The elbow shattered like a cheap goblet.

"AAAAA!!!"

A twist and spin pinned the ruined arm to the man's back. Kultra shoved the man face-first into the sturdy wall... breaking the man's nose.

KRUNCH!

"Now, what the hell is this all about!" hissed Kultra.

"NEVER!"

Kultra yanked upwards on the broken arm.

"AARRRRRRGH!"

"You heard the question the first time, so I won't repeat it."

"Go to Hell!"

"Maybe one day-"

KRUNCH!

"But you'll be there long before me. What's so special about that scroll, eh?"

"You'll never know!"

KRUNCH!

"AAAA!" the man started screaming. Kultra thrust his huge arm across the man's throat and cut off his air supply.

"Okay, maybe you can tell me this," Kultra thought back to the man who'd given him the scroll. "Where the hell is the Rose Grove?"

Kultra loosened his grip just enough to allow the man to talk.

"You'll learn NOTHING from m-"

"Oh forget it!"

KRAK!

Kultra snapped the man's neck, and the last swordsman died. Again, Kultra absorbed the binding energy and used it to transform himself. While no one knew what this new body looked like, it was too large and bulky to move unnoticed. His bones and muscles shrank down to those of a normal man, though still larger than his regular form. His black hair became light brown, and his thick gray skin became that of a normal human.

At least he could fit into his own pants now.

Kultra searched the bodies, but found nothing of interest besides a few gold coins. He took a belt from one man and two scabbards from the last two he killed. Sheathing both his new swords, he checked to make sure he still had the scroll, and then headed downstairs.

"Hell... I'll get more sleep in an alley somewhere."

He checked the window, and saw a shadowy figure across the street. Or rather, the figure WOULD have been shadow if Kultra hadn't decided to keep his night-vision eyes from two bodies ago. Instead, Kultra clearly recognized the figure as Calloway, who appeared to be waiting impatiently for something. Or someone.

There didn't appear to be anyone else on the street.

"Hmmmm... guess I know who those guys worked for."

Kultra watched Calloway for perhaps a minute, then he stepped away from the window and made his way to the rear of the in. He found an unlocked store room, which had another door leading to the outside. He moved the few boxes that blocked the way, and then stepped out into the night air.

Kultra crept down one block, then over two, then back up one. He cut through an alley, and found himself approaching Calloway from behind.

The man was fidgeting nervously, but didn't appear worried about standing out in the street at night. Perhaps he was the leader of the town guard after all.

Not that that would save him.

Calloway must have heard Kultra coming, because he turned to see what was behind him. What he saw was the bottom of Kultra's foot-

KRACK!

He stumbled backwards and reached for his sword. Kultra already had his drawn. He opened a deep cut on Calloway's arm, cutting the muscle to the bone.

"ARRRRR-MMPH!"

Kultra grabbed Calloway, put his hand over his mouth, and yanked him back into the alley. Calloway tried to fight, but after Kultra rammed the back of the man's head into the building five or six times, all attempts at struggle ceased.

"Now. I'm gonna ask some questions, and you're gonna tell me some answers. Everything you say that isn't an answer to one of my questions... well... it's gonna hurt. A lot. Got it?"

Calloway nodded, and Kultra removed his hand. He still held Calloway by the throat, and had his sword ready.

"You with those guys that came for me?"

"Y-yes."

THUNK!

Kultra bashed the man's head against the wall once.

"Hey! I answered your question!"

"Sorry. That was just reflex... didn't expect you to answer me. Now what's this business with the scroll. What's it to you?"

"To me? Nothing."

THUNK!

THUNK!

"It's true!"

THUNK!

Calloway was bleeding profusely from the back of his head now.

"STOPPIT!"

THUNK!

"Please! I swear! I was just following orders!"

"From who?"

Calloway hesitated.

THUNK!

"Reyd! This was HIS job! He just wanted me to come along for lookout in case somebody yelled for the guard! I swear!"

"Reyd? Who the hell is that?"

"The man... the man inside..."

"Stretcho?"

"Y-yes."

"And who did HE work for?"

"D-did?"

THUNK!

"He stuck his head where it didn't belong. Or rather, I stuck it where it didn't belong. Now answer the question."

Calloway gulped and shivered.

THUNK!

"You heard me. Where did he get his orders!"

Calloway's lips quivered, but no answer passed through them.

Kultra placed the tip of his sword at the base of Calloway's throat.

"Answer the-"

Calloway lunged forward, impaling himself on Kultra's blade.

Kultra gaped.

Calloway fell to the ground... dead. He'd used Kultra's blade to commit suicide rather than answer Kultra's question.

"I'll be damned," said Kultra. He wiped the blood from his sword, sheathed it silently, and walked out of the alley as if nothing had happened.
---

Kultra found another deserted alley in which he could spend what remained of the night. He dozed lightly and awoke before dawn. As much as he wanted to stay and buy himself some new clothes... and some more beer... he knew that he had to get to the bottom of whatever he'd gotten himself involved in. Calloway and the stretching man from the inn were just pawns in something larger, and despite Kultra's change of appearance, he knew that someone else would be coming for him eventually. Of course, he could just hand the scroll over to the next person that asked, but somehow that didn't seem like a good idea.

But then, following the mysterious stranger's instructions concerning a path through the rocks seemed only marginally better.

Nevertheless, that's what Kultra found himself doing. By sunrise he was leaving the down behind him, heading northeast. There was a well-traveled road in that direction that appeared to go absolutely nowhere. The only thing ahead of him was a collection of increasingly larger hills... each one steeper and rockier than the one before it. The road wound through them like a drunken serpent... zigzagging and making sharp angles that seemed to defy reason.

He followed it for several hours before he came to the first indication that there was something there other than the path itself.

It was a crude wooden sign on the side of the road. It read "Rose Grove" and had a crude arrow pointing upwards and away from the road. There was nothing in that direction but huge rocks. He didn't know where the rest of the road went, but this was as far as he needed to go.

Kultra walked over to the rocks and looked up. It was a sheer climb, but there did appear to be a flat area not too far up... a ledge or plateau of some kind. He'd have to climb to get to it, though.

"Damn. If I'd have known I was going to be rock climbing I would have bought some boots. Or I would've kept the damned wings."

Indeed, Kultra's boots were made for walking on flat ground... and for fighting. Not for climbing rocks. Still, he managed. There were a surprising number of hand and foot holds... more than there should have been. He inspected a few, and the majority of them looked like they'd been carved with tools quite some time ago.

Kultra hauled himself up, and before long he reached the ledge.

"...gods..."

The 'ledge' was a large flat area covering two or three acres. It was dotted with huge boulders. Some were tall, like miniature mountains. Some lay flat like slumbering giants. And everywhere Kultra looked, there were roses. They grew out of the rocky soil... and some out of the sheer rock itself. The scent was enchanting, but the sight was breathtaking.

"Rose Grove," Kultra said. "Now what?"

Kultra wandered through the forest of rocks and roses, occasionally shoving on a boulder or pulling on what looked like a loose rock. He discovered nothing out of the ordinary.

Having searched the place thoroughly, he searched it again with the same results: nothing.

"Hell. Now what did that guy say I was supposed to do?" Kultra tried to remember. "Hmmm... path... rose grove... something about the stones."

Kultra looked around. He'd already put his hands on every rock in the place at least once, with no signs of any secret passages.

"What did he say? Embrace. Embrace the stone."

Though the words were just a light whisper, they were still loud enough to serve their purpose. There was a loud grinding noise, followed by a series of cracks. One of the rocks, a small boulder about twice the size of a man, suddenly stood up.

It was a stone golem. A HUGE stone golem, twelve feet tall at the very least. It had been sitting perfectly still near the edge of the grove, and in that position it looked like any other boulder. But now that it was awake, the thing was quite clearly something that did not belong. The golem turned toward Kultra and took a few lumbering steps towards him.

"Hmmmm..."

Kultra drew his sword and backed away.

"I hope I ain't expected to fight that thing.... because THAT just ain't gonna happen."

The golem took a few more steps, and then stopped. It raised its arms out to either side and stood there like a huge, stone scarecrow.

It didn't move.

Neither did Kultra.

For about five minutes, the two stared at each other. Kultra's dark eyes glaring into the twin shallow notches on the golem's face.

"Okaaaaayy..." said Kultra. He took a step back, and then something occurred to him.

He inched toward the golem. It didn't respond. He got a little closer... then a little closer.

Nothing.

Finally, he walked up to the thing and stood directly in front of it. His sword was still drawn, although he didn't know what it would do against the golem's solid stone hide.

Fighting didn't seem to be part of the plan, however.

Kultra reached out and placed the palm of his hand on the golem's stomach.

Nothing.

Finally, he sheathed his sword, stepped forward and grabbed the golem in a big bear hug... or as much of a hug as he could given the thing's size.

He embraced the stone.

The golem quickly closed its arms around him. Kultra pulled away, but the thing caught him in its arms and embraced him. Cursing himself for being so stupid, Kultra prepared for the bone-crunching squeeze that would end his life.

Instead, everything around him simply vanished.

The rocks, the roses, even the golem that had grabbed him all disappeared. So did the sky over his head and the ground under his feet. For the briefest instant, Kultra was nowhere.

And then he was somewhere else.

To say the place was huge would be an understatement. Kultra stood in an enormous cave... the largest he'd ever been in his life. The walls were dull metallic gray, and they stretched almost as far as he could see in every direction. Far above him, a huge ball of white light lit the entire area like a giant sun.

Kultra wasn't alone in the cave, either. The place was full of people, all of which appeared to be human. Their clothing ranged from mere tattered rags to royal garb.

There were clusters of activity everywhere. Some people were engaged in heated discussions around large tables, others sat classroom style in rows of chairs while a single person lectured to them. Still others were engaged in physical conditioning and weapons-training. There were groups of desks where people sat and worked, and benches where others could relax and think.

And then there were the dozen or so humans who were standing around him... glaring at him. A few of them carried weapons... which they had drawn and ready... but most were either casting spells or were already pointing at him with glowing, flaming, or otherwise magically-enhanced fingers. One man had a tiny globe of perfect inky darkness poised at the tip of his finger. Another had a magic wand of unknown effect pointed at Kultra's face. Kultra could hear the wand humming from several yards away. Yet another mage... a tall slender, woman with a nasty scowl on her face... held what looked like a miniature thunderstorm in the palm of her hand. Still another mage was staring at Kultra with glowing, purple eyes.

"Uhhh..." Kultra started. His fingers twitched near his sword... or rather, they would have twitched had Kultra been able to move. Kultra realized that, even though he was still standing up, he was paralyzed from the neck down. He couldn't move a single muscle, no matter how hard he tried. If these men intended to fight, then it would be a very short battle. "Ummmm.... okay... who's first?"

"Identify yourself," said the storm-wielder. Her eyes flashed in tune with the lightning from the storm

"Kultra. And you?"

"Tell us how you came to possess the knowledge of the golem-gate."

"And do not lie," said another mage. This one was pointing a glowing red sword at Kultra. "My blade can cleave truth from falsehood... as well as your head from your neck."

"Uhhh... Look-"

"We ARE looking," said the female storm-mage. "And we do not like what we see. Answer our questions."

"There was this guy in the woods. Last night. He gave me this scroll-" Kultra tried to retrieve the scroll, but the paralysis was still intact. "-well, he gave me a scroll and told me what to do. Then he died."

"By who's hand?" asked another man. He had a crossbow leveled at Kultra's head. The bolt in the bow was glowing green. "Yours?"

"No."

"He speaks true," said the swordsman. "So far. Ask him more."

"Uhh... that's about all I know about it-"

"FALSEHOOD!"

"Well, these guys did try to kill me. They worked for this guy named Reyd. I killed him. I think the leader of the town guard was involved. His name was Calloway. I killed him, too."

"FALSEHOOD!"

"Okay, he killed HIMSELF before I could find out who was running the show. THAT'S all I know."

"Hmmm... He speaks the truth. As far as he knows."

"Hey-"

"The scroll," said the storm-mage. "We will have it now."

"That'll be rather hard to do... unless one of ya reaches into my pants and grabs it. Just be careful what ya latch onto down there."

The mage with the glowing purple eyes frowned. His eyes changed from purple to orange, and Kultra's paralysis vanished. It was replaced with a rather peculiar type of slow effect. As long as Kultra made very slow, steady motions, then he could move freely. But if he made any sudden moves, all of his muscles locked up as before.

He slooooowwwwllllyyyy reached it his pants and retrieved the scroll. Holding the scroll, he stuck his hand out.

"I'll take that," said a new voice. It belonged to someone who had just arrived, a short, elderly man who nonetheless walked with power authority. Though he was the smallest man in the room, he was quite clearly the man in charge. The others backed away and allowed him to pass through.

"He calls himself Kultra," said the swordsman.

The newcomer motioned for him to be silent. He took the scroll from Kultra's outstretched hand. Obviously he understood the scribbles and symbols, for the man's face grew stern and worried. He waved at one of the glowing-eyed mage, and suddenly Kultra was free of the strange enchantment that was restricting his movements. The mages... or whatever they were... were still pointing various deadly-looking spells at him. Kultra didn't like the idea of so much magic aimed in his direction, but no one seemed ready to trust him yet. Not that HE would trust him in the same situation.

The older man showed the scroll to the storm-mage, who skimmed it quickly... then read it again more slowly, as if not believing what she'd seen the first time.

"Hmmm...."

"Bad news?" said Kultra.

"Good and bad," replied the short man. Kultra was shocked; he wasn't expecting an actual answer. "The death of an agent is always difficult. But your timely delivery of his last report places some vital information in our hands."

"Agent?" asked Kultra. "Who are you people."

The old man and the storm-mage traded glances.

"The rest of you may leave us," said the old man. All of the mages dispersed without so much as an acknowledgment or a backward glance. They quickly vanished into various corners and crowds. Kultra got the strange feeling that they could reappear just as quickly.

Kultra was left with the old man and the storm mage... who still had a tiny, raging thunderstorm churning in the air above her outstretched palm. Kultra wondered where the water from the rain was going, since the woman's hand wasn't wet. He also wondered what she looked like under that markedly unflattering robe she was wearing.

"My name is Greenem," said the old man. "My stormy associate here is Silvergold. Silvergold, do put that thing away."

The storm-mage released her spell with a wave of her hand, and the miniature thunderstorm vanished into thin air.

"Welcome to the Directorate," said Greenem.

"Huh? The what?"

"You've never heard of us. If you had, you'd most likely be dead already. It appears that the winds of fate brought you to us. Hopefully it is serendipity, and not an ill omen."

"Whatever. Still doesn't answer just what the hell you are."

"We are an organization that exists to protect Iffrean from magical threats. Our membership consists mostly of mages and magically-talented individuals... like yourself."

"Me? I'm not-"

"Your body was scryed upon arrival, Mr. Kultra. We know you have the innate ability to morph into whatever form you mind can conjure. A very powerful gift."

"It's a bit more complicated than that."

"We are aware of the conditions and limitations, as well," added Silvergold. "Probably more aware of them than you are. But that is not the topic of conversation."

"Yeah, yeah. Protect Iffrean from magical threats. Sure. What's that got to do with me? Why were those goons trying to kill me."

"Follow me," Greenem turned and started leading Silvergold and Kultra across the huge cave. Kultra had no idea where they were going, but the conversation continued as they walked.

"Peace and freedom have many enemies, Mr. Kultra. We suspected... and now we know for certain that one of them is currently engaged in operations in and around Xemlt."

"And you guys just happen to be right here to stop it, eh?"

"Oh, we are nowhere near Xemlt," said Greenem. "You were teleported here across a great distance."

"Well where are we, then?"

"If we told you that I'd have to kill you," said Silvergold. Kultra didn't like this woman. She had an annoying habit of threatening him.

"Weeks ago," continued Greenem, "we sent an agent to investigate some suspicious magical emanations in the area. He disappeared. The scroll you brought us is his first... and last... report. Obviously the forces responsible for his demise did not want the Directorate to receive that information. No doubt, they think that YOU are a Directorate agent sent to retrieve the missing report. That explains their actions against you."

"Uh-huh." Kultra eyed a group of scantily dressed females jog across their path. Judging from their muscles, they must have been warriors of some kind. "Uhhh.... Oh. Well, you guys got your information..." said Kultra. "You win. They loose. Now if you'll show me the door-"

"This headquarters HAS no door, Mr. Kultra. Our magic is the only way in or out... so you will not be leaving until we make it so."

"Well? What's keepin' ya? And where are we going?"

"We have a dead agent. We have a man with significant magical ability who has already exposed himself to the enemy...and proven himself to be their superior."

Kultra knew where this was leading. And he didn't want to take the scenic route to get there.

"Okay. Skip the formality... all I got is three questions: What is it you want me to do? How much money are you gonna pay if I do it? And what happens if I refuse?"

"We know that something is going on near Xemlt," said Greenem. "but we don't know what or where. There are a few clues in the report you delivered, however. Our agent had some suspicions concerning a man named Seveltine, who was somehow connected to the mage's guild. He was actively watching this man. Seek him out, find out what he knows, and follow up on any leads he gives you."

"Follow up," said Kultra. "Which means what, exactly?"

"Use your own discretion."

"What's discretion?"

"You know our objectives here, Mr. Kultra. We seek out magical threats and eliminate them. If you find such a threat... you do what you think should be done."

"For how much?"

"A very timely question," said Greenem. They had apparently arrived at their destination. They approached one of the far corners of the cave. It was taken up by six long tables and one small desk. The tables were crammed with various items... Kultra saw a few swords, some pieces of armor, jewelry, rings, loose gems, and clothing of almost every type. Seated at the desk was a single man, who stood when they approached. He looked even older than Greenem. With droopy red cheeks, puppy-dog eyes, and huge bushy eyebrows, the little man looked almost comical. "Allow me to introduce Wellyn, our Chief Quartermaster, among other things."

Kultra shook the man's hand. Wellyn had a firm grip for an old mage.

"Kultra has helped us considerably in the Xemlt matter," said Greenem. "His assistance is deserving of reward. We wish him to help us further, for which he should be compensated."

"Is that so," said Wellyn. He eyed Kultra. Kultra couldn't tell if the look was one of approval or sarcasm. "Well, let's get to it, then."

Wellyn walked over to the bare wall and opened a small safe, which Kultra was quite sure wasn't there before the man reached for it. Once he had it opened, the Wellyn reached in and pulled out a six-inch bar of what looked like gold.

"Since the Directorate operates in so many different kingdoms," said Greenem. "We find it simpler to deal in precious metals instead of official coinage."

"Pure gold," said Wellyn handed the bar to Kultra. Kultra hefted the bar, feeling the weight. "Yes, it's solid," added Wellyn. "And if you satisfy Greenem, you'll get four more just like it."

"Is that arrangement satisfactory?" Green asked.

"I'd prefer coins," said Kultra. "But this'll do." Actually, it was more money than Kultra had seen in a very long time. Assuming the gold was real, of course. "And all I gotta do is find this Seveltine guy-"

"And go wherever the facts take you."

"What if I refuse?"

"It's a simple matter, really," said Greenem. "We will erase your memory of us and teleport you back to Xemlt. You will have no recollection of ever having been here. Unfortunately we will also have to reclaim your reward."

"huh?" Kultra looked at the bar of gold in his hand.

"It's presence would be rather difficult to explain, would it not?" said Greenem.

"Hmph. All right, I'm in."

"Good!" said Greenem. "Wellyn, do give Mr. Kultra some equipment."

"Quite right," said Wellyn. He opened the top drawer to his desk and pulled out a miniature chest. When he opened it, Kultra saw a line of coins. Wellyn removed one and held it up. Both surfaces of the coin were completely blank. It wasn't a coin at all... just a smooth coin-shaped disk. "Now Pay attention. Osses."

Suddenly, the coin changed to a platinum royal mint.

"What?"

"An illusion. To the recipient, it will appear to be the highest denomination of official currency that he is familiar with. Lasts only a few minutes, however."

"How come I couldn't get paid in this?"

"Don't be ridiculous. Now, here..," Wellyn handed the coin to Kultra, and then backed away several steps. "Watch carefully. Ajix."

The coin vanished from Kultra's palm and reappeared in Wellyn's outstretched hand. It also became a plain disk once more.

"A coin of returning. It has a range of twenty yards. Use it to take care of your expenses and supplies. I trust you remember the activation words?"

"Yeah, yeah... gimme the coin."

Wellyn tossed Kultra the coin and then returned to his desk. He rummaged around until he found a small metal wire that had been twisted into an ornate, but totally meaningless shape.

"What's that?"

"Hold out your arm."

"Why?"

"Do you want the rune or not?"

"What rune?"

"Hold out your arm, Mr. Kultra," said Greenem.

"Hmmm...."

Kultra held out his arm, and Wellyn placed the metal object on his biceps, just above the elbow. The metal glowed bright green for a second, and then returned to normal. When Wellyn removed it, Kultra had a mark on his skin in the same shape as the wire.

"Temporary and painless," said Greenem. "It's an anti-tracking rune. Prevents anyone from scrying your location."

"Does that include you guys?"

"It will remain in place even if you change form," said Wellyn. "Now, follow me. There's one more thing. Something I want you to test for me."

"Huh? Test? Do I get paid extra for testing stuff?"

Wellyn started winding his way through the maze of tables. Kultra followed, with Green and Silvergold in the rear. Kultra eyed the rows of miscellaneous equipment and wondered what it was all for.

"What's all this stuff?" said Kultra.

"It's equipment," said Wellyn.

"Oh. Of course."

"Ahh... here we are." Wellyn stopped walking and picked up a pair of black cloth gloves.

"Gloves?" said Kultra.

"Gloves of Protection. Invulnerable to physical harm. Here... try them on."

Kultra donned the gloves. The fit was snug, but they covered about a forth of his forearm as well as his hand. He wiggled his fingers.

"These don't feel like-"

"The activation word is Thribe"

"Thribe? HEY!" Suddenly, the gloves hardened on Kultra's hands. They still looked and felt like ordinary cloth, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't move his fingers. It was as if his hands were encased in solid rock. "Hey, I can't move! What kinda gloves are these!"

"As I said... wait... perhaps a demonstration would be better..."

There was a small hammer on the table next to where the gloves had been. Wellyn picked it up, and before Kultra could move out of the way, the mage swung the hammer at Kultra's left hand.

CLANG!

The hammer rebounded as if it had struck solid iron. Kultra didn't even feel the blow.

"Say the word again to release."

"Tribe!"

"It's 'Thribe.' Pay attention next time."

"Thribe!

The gloves returned to normal, and Kultra quickly took them off.


"Hell, what good are gloves if you can't move around in them?"

"I didn't say they were perfect," Wellyn spat. "Thus the need for you to test them in the field. I'm sure you'll find some use for them."

"Hmph. I don't think so.

"Good luck, Kultra," said Greenem. "I will now teleport you back to the path outside of Xemlt." He raised his hands and began casting a spell.

"And I expect my equipment to be returned when you're done!" added Wellyn.

"Gloves. Sure."

"And the coin of returning!"

"Damn."

Greenem completed his spell, and suddenly Kultra wasn't there anymore.

"Now that he's gone," said Silvergold. "What are we going to do about the scroll?"

Greenem unrolled the scroll once more and the three mages looked down at it.

"It gives the exact location of Octerno's lair, but unfortunately it gives no indication of what his plans are."

"Something unpleasant, no doubt," said Silvergold. Her eyes flashed.

"Whatever it is, it must be stopped. Once this buffoon has drawn sufficient attention to himself, we will send in a squad to neutralize Octerno."

"I will send two of our best mages as well," said Silvergold

"Excellent. With Octerno's forces focused on Kultra, our people should have no problem gaining entry and putting a stop to whatever that bastard is brewing."

"How will we know when to strike?"

"That rune I gave Kultra will enable us to track his activities," said Wellyn. "We'll know exactly when to make our move."

"Won't Octerno be able to make use of it as well?"

"Possibly," said Greenem. "But that just makes Kultra a better decoy."

"I'm not sure I like this idea," said Silvergold. "Using an amateur in such a way."

"Me neither," said Wellyn.

"We've already lost one of our experienced agents on this mission. Would you like to risk another just to preserve the life of a petty mercenary?"

"No. Never." replied Silvergold.

"Then we are all of one accord," said Greenem. "Let us make our plans. If my intuition is correct, the time to strike will come very soon. Very soon indeed."

Kultra appeared on the road at the bottom of Rose Grove. Constantly wondering what he'd gotten himself into, he followed the road back to town.

"I could take the gold, the coin, and the funky gloves and just disappear," he mused. "But somehow I don't think I'd get very far. Hell, I might as well go along with this. I ain't had any real excitement since... well... since the last town. Besides, I'm just itching to try out this coin."

It was mid-day when Kultra reached Xemlt, and he immediately set out on a shopping spree. However, using the magic coin was a bit more complicated than he first imagined. He quickly discovered that a single coin just wasn't that valuable. Even the maximum denomination was too small to buy anything of any great worth... like a ship or a mansion. He could have traded the gold bar he'd gotten from the Directorate, but he wasn't in the mood for spending any of his own money. At least not today. It took Kultra all of three seconds to figure a way around the problem. He went to the nearest fruit stand and picked out a nice, shiny apple.

"That'll be one copper," said the farmer who was selling his wares. One copper was a bit much for an apple, but Kultra didn't argue. He pulled the coin of returning from his pocket and handed it to the man.

"All I got is this Osses."

"A what? OH!" The disc in Kultra's hand appeared to be a regular gold coin. Apparently the farmer had never seen any coins of higher value. "I can make change for that." The farmer snatched the 'gold' coin and gave Kultra an assortment of silver and copper pieces.

"Thanks," said Kultra. He walked away and mumbled "Ajix" as soon as he was out of earshot. The plain disc reappeared in Kultra's hand. Now he had real money in addition to the fake coin. After about a dozen repetitions, Kultra had enough gold, silver, and copper to get started. His pack was missing, and his clothes were still singed. He replaced them, and added some high-quality leather boots to his wardrobe.

He still carried the two longswords he'd gotten from the men last night. To these, he added a nice, sharp hunting knife, which he strapped to his thigh. He paid for it with a single platinum eagle coin, which vanished from the storekeeper's money pouch as soon as Kultra was around the corner. He similarly 'purchased' some rope and various other adventuring supplies to replace what had been lost the night before.

When his shopping was complete, Kultra bought himself a hearty meal, and then set out to find the man called Seveltine. His luck in that matter was surprisingly good.

"Eh? Seveltine?" said the keeper of the tavern where Kultra had just finished eating. "You must mean Atmos Seveltine, high mucky-muck at the magic guild."

"Yes, that's the one," said Kultra.

"He's gotta place on the west side of town. Big place. Huge. Don't know who's gonna buy it once he leaves."

"Leaves?"

"Yeah, he just up and decides he doesn't like Xemlt no more. Don't know why. Been packing up every scrap of cloth and furniture in that big mansion of his and shipping it off down the river. Why you askin' about him?"

"Oh, I'm just... looking for work." said Kultra. "I heard this guy was moving and thought he might need a few extra hands. But I never did find out where he lived."

"West side," the man waved in a generally westward direction. "Can't miss it. But hell, most of the heavy movin' is done already. Don't know if he needs any more people."

"I figure I'll ask anyway. What's the harm, right?"

"Well... luck to ya."

Kultra paid for his meal and made his away across town. The Seveltine mansion was easy to spot... while it wasn't the largest house on that side of town, it was by far the most noticeable. It sat atop a large hill, where it looked down on the more elaborate estates and mansions that surrounded it. Lush green grass carpeted the grounds, and thick, perfectly pruned shrubbery lined the cobblestone walkway leading up to the front door.

Kultra wandered completely around the base of the hill, eyeing the mansion from all angles. It looked oversized and ostentatious no matter which way he viewed it. Care and upkeep of a place like that one required a lot of money. Seveltine obviously had more than enough. Kultra found an inconspicuous place from which he could watch the front entrance. After no one came or left for a half-hour, Kultra's impatience got the best of him.

"Screw this spy crap..." he mumbled as he started up the hill. He walked right up to the front door, grabbed the ornate brass knocker, and rapped it hard against the equally ornate brass plate. He expected a servant to answer, but when the door opened he found himself looking into the eyes of a beautiful woman.... the same beautiful woman who sang at the tavern last night. Sanya. She wore a simple brown dress that nevertheless fit her womanly curves perfectly. Those curves looked even better up close than they had across a crowded tavern. She stood in the doorway, and leaned invitingly against the frame.

"Whoa." said Kultra. He couldn't mask his surprise, but he quickly recovered. He cleared his throat and flashed a smile. Since this was obviously a woman of distinction, Kultra decided to be a bit more cultured and civilized than his normal self. He had to talk his way into the house somehow... and quite possibly into something else as well. "Hello Sanya."

Sanya's eyes widened most attractively when she heard her name pass his lips.

"You seem to have me at a disadvantage," she said in a soft, almost-musical voice. She returned his smile. Kultra watched her eyes travel over his physique, just as his were doing to hers.

"Kultra," he said. "I heard you sing at the tavern last night."

"Oh, really?"

"Quite enjoyable. And the singing was excellent as well."

"Thank you."

Kultra wasn't sure, but it almost seemed like she was blushing.

"You have a lovely voice. Fits very well with the rest of you."

Yes, definitely a blush.

"You're quite the charmer," she said. Actually, the mammoth attempt to be 'charming' was making Kultra's head hurt. He wasn't used to this. "But surely you didn't come all the way up here just to give me a compliment."

"Oh, I could give you several things... and compliments are usually a good place to start. But I'm actually here to see Seveltine."

"You're seeing one right now. I'm Sanya Seveltine"

"Don't tell me you're his wife."

"Don't be silly. I'm his daughter."

"Lucky me." Kultra winked. Sanya smiled.

"You're not local, are you? I don't recognize you."

"Just passing through. Had the pleasure of hearing you at the tavern last night, and this morning I set off to earn a few coins. I heard your father might be in need of some movers."

"You? A mover?" Her eyes ran over his form once more.

"And a very good one," said Kultra. "I've moved quite a few women... and I've never had any complaints about my work." Kultra winked.

"Lack of complaints doesn't necessarily make you good," Sanya replied with a smile. "Merely satisfactory."

"Perhaps you'd like to sample my work then? Is there anything you need moved? Maybe something delicate that you'd like treated with extra care?"

Sanya smiled.

"I'm afraid all the heavy things have gone out already." Sanya stepped aside, allowing Kultra a glimpse of the mansion's interior. Indeed, it was almost completely empty. There was no furniture that he could see, and even the white walls were devoid of paintings, tapestries, or decorations. "We're down to bare essentials."

"Bare?"

"Yes. Clothes... a few books... and beds, of course."

"Of course. I can help you move that."

"I'm... sure you can."

"Oh, I'm more than sure."

"But you'll have to speak with my father."

"Really?"

"He's handling all of the details himself."

"Not ALL of them, I'd bet. But perhaps I should speak with him. Is he in?"

"Yes... but he's very busy."

"I've got time. Can I wait insi-"

"He doesn't allow strangers in the house, either."

"If he's too busy to see me, then he's too busy to know I'm here."

"Good point," said Sanya. "But you'll still have to come back later. Tomorrow."

"Tomorrow? But what about tonight?"

"What about it?"

"You're going to spend it alone in this empty mansion?"

"My father will be here... but I won't. I'm singing in the tavern later. In a few hours, in fact. Will I see you there?"

"Will we continue to discuss the movement of you bedroom furnishings?"

"Perhaps."

"Then I'll be there."

"I'll see you then... Kultra," said Sanya. She backed away into the house and slowly shut the door. Kultra stared at the door for several seconds before he remembered that he'd come here for another reason besides flirting with Sanya. It took several more seconds before he realized what that reason was.

"Oh! Damn. I hope she's not mixed up in this," said Kultra. "Be a shame to have to kill her." Kultra considered breaking into the house, but he knew nothing of Seveltine's security or what to expect on the inside. Seveltine was connected with the mage's guild... and mage's could set some of the deadliest traps of anyone he knew. Almost anyone.

Instead, Kultra walked back down to the street and found an inconspicuous place to watch the house. He couldn't see the entire estate, but if anyone headed into town, he'd know it. That included Sanya. Over the next hour, Kultra saw a few hired servants come and go... no one that looked worthy of his attention. The sky had just darkened to a nice shade of gray when the front door opened and a man emerged. He was dressed in a plain dark cloak, which he pulled tight around him. His hair was black, but it had a very noticeable streak of gray down each side. He walked down the hill and started into town. Kultra studied his body language. His movements were stiff, and practiced, and he looked around every few minutes. He was a man who was trying hard not to look nervous, but was failing miserably at it.

"Hmmm..." Kultra hummed as he stepped out of his hiding place. The man looked too young to be Sanya's father, but then, mages did have a habit of looking much younger than they actually were. "I'll bet that's Seveltine. And I'll bet he's going somewhere that I'll want to see."

Kultra followed the man. They headed into town, almost making a straight line for the merchant's area. Then the mysterious man veered north at the last minute and circled around the markets. He kept going until he reached the waterfront. Kultra let the man get a bit further ahead of him. He had a feeling that Seveltine was getting close to his destination, which could mean guards. With Kultra's keen eyesight he could still watch the man from a distance.

Seveltine walked to an old, deserted shipyard. The entire place was build on an elevated wooden dock, supported by huge poles jutting out of the river. A group of warehouses surrounded an open area, creating a penned-in space with the river on one side. Kultra kept his eyes open. He spotted the guards right away... well before they had a chance to spot him. They were dressed the same as the men from the woods and from the tavern... black pants, green shirts, and rags over their faces. There were six of them, each one stationed in an alley or around a corner from where Seveltine was now waiting.

Was it an ambush?

Kultra watched. A new man entered the scene. He was tall, thin, blonde youth who walked with an air of youthful cockiness. He emerged from one of the warehouses and headed for Seveltine. Seveltine and the young man greeted each other, but Kultra noticed the lack of a handshake or other form of respect. They started talking. Again, Kultra watched the body language... Seveltine was annoyed at something. Annoyed, but nervous just the same. He was afraid of the blond youth. He obviously didn't like what the boy was saying, but he was too scared to do anything about it. Unfortunately, Kultra couldn't hear a single word. He would have to get a little closer. Kultra eyed the guards. They were looking around, keeping an eye out for intruders... all except for one. One of them seemed to be paying more attention to Seveltine and the other man than the surrounding area.

Keeping to the shadows, Kultra circled around to one of the warehouses and cut through an alley. The guard just ahead of him. Kultra looked past the guard and saw Seveltine and the other man, and beyond THEM was the river. Kultra still couldn't hear anything, so he crept forward as quietly as he could. He didn't dare risk drawing his sword; the sound would give him away instantly. Instead, he got right behind the man and, with one fluid motion, reached out, grabbed him by the chin and the back of the head, and twisted. The man's neck broke with a muffled *snap,* and he went limp in Kultra's arms.

amateurs, Kultra thought. He absorbed the guard's life energy and used it to make a subtle change in his own body. It wasn't noticeable to the eye... the change was all contained in the delicate tissues of his ears. When it was done, Kultra's hearing was twice as sensitive as it had been before. The creaking of the old dock... the waves lapping at the poles far beneath him... everything was a clear as a thunderbolt on a silent night. That included the conversation that was taking place in front of the warehouse.

"... one day," said the blond youth. "That's all you've got.

"You're insane!" replied Seveltine. "I can't possibly complete my move by then!"

"Complete it or not, just don't be here when the final test begins. Not unless you want to live."

"By why!? Why this sudden change of schedule? He assured me that I'd have at least another week!"

"The last test was a success. There's no more work to be done... It's been perfected. Now, the boss wants a full scale test as soon as possible. Plus there's the matter of the Directorate spy."

"You said you killed him."

"We did. Now there's another one."

"Well handle it! That's what you people are for! Handle him and give me my week!"

"Oh, we'll handle it all right. He'll be dead two seconds after we find him. But another week will just give them time to send another... and another... and another. If we run the test sooner, then they won't have time to do anything but wonder what the hell happened."

"But I don't think I can do it. I've got-"

The boy stepped closer to Seveltine, and his voice grew stern.

"Maybe I didn't make myself clear. The boss appreciates your cooperation and all your hard work on this project... but you are no longer needed. You are expendable. At noon tomorrow, this entire town will vanish. If you're still here worrying about a few sticks of furniture, then you and all your belongings will be just so much fine ash blowing in the wind. No deals. No special considerations. "

"But... but Sanya! My daughter-"

"I suggest you both leave tonight. Find a boat, get on it, and just sail away."

Seveltine sighed.

"You know I should have seen this coming-"

"HEEEEYYY!!!" one of the guard's shouted. Kultra looked up, and saw a guard perched on top of a warehouse. The guard was pointing straight at him! "GET THAT MAN!!!"

"DAMN!" Kultra spun and ran back the way he'd come. A guard appeared at the mouth of the alley and drew his sword. Kultra drew one of his own weapons and prepared to slice the man to ribbons... but six more guards gathered right behind the first one. "Where did all THESE guys come from!?!" Kultra blurted. He turned and ran back toward the front. Seveltine was gone, but the blonde youth was running straight for him... along with four more men. There were armed guards streaming out of two of the warehouses.

The blond man pointed at Kultra. Kultra didn't wait to see what happened next.

There was a window next to him, and Kultra jumped through it... rolling to his feet inside of the warehouse. The place was mostly empty, and lit very well by an array of glowing mage-globes placed on the high wooden ceiling. There were a few boxes piled against the far wall. Kultra didn't get a chance to take in any more details.

A swordsman leapt through the window after him. Kultra swung his sword. The man ducked and counterstruck. Kultra blocked, spun, and slashed. The man backed away from the whirling tip of Kultra's blade... just as another man came through the window.

The warehouse's main door flew open, and a squad of five sword-wielding green-shirts rushed in. Meanwhile, men were still pouring through the window like foam from a bottle of champagne.

Kultra was outnumbered.

He spun, and slashed at the nearest man, hoping to take his life and use the energy to change into something a little more useful than his current body. That wasn't going to happen. A second man blocked Kultra's blade, and a third tried to take his head. Kultra blocked, and, with both swords whirling, engaged the three men in combat even as more closed in on him.

All he had to do was kill one... just one...

WOOOSH!

Kultra slashed at one swordsman's head... missing it entirely as the man dodged at the last second. Another man tore a wicked gash down Kultra's arm. Kultra twirled and tried to cut one man's legs out from under him. Another failure. Metal met metal, the man blocked it with his sword... Kultra swung his second blade, but another man blocked it. And all the while, more men were closing in.

Kultra began casting around for an exit. Men were still climbing in the window, but the door way looked clear. But who knew how many men were waiting outside. Using both swords, Kultra blocked two strikes and kicked the third man in the side. The man staggered away... but now there were eight more to take his place!

They surrounded him.

"One at a time or all at once?" said Kultra. "Makes no difference to me."

The men just glared at him. Then they started to back away.

"I thought so," Kultra huffed. He knew he couldn't take all of them, and he had no idea why they were backing off, but he wasn't one to waste a good opportunity to boast. "I guess this batch had more brains than the last ones. Now you're gonna let me walk outta he-"

THWOCK!

"ARRRRGH!!!"

A bolt from a crossbow pierced Kultra's left shoulder. The bloody tip burst through his shirt, carrying a small chunk of Kultra's flesh with it. Pain raced down his arm, and the sword fell from his hand.

Even as he tried to run for cover, Kultra looked around for the archer. He failed at both. A second bolt whizzed past Kultra's eyes... missing him by less than an inch. And he had no idea who'd fired it. All he saw were the swordsmen, who were gathered around the walls like spectators to some new sport. None of them had a bow.

"Don't move," said a woman's voice. Kultra recognized it as the voice from the woods. But he couldn't tell where it was coming from. "You may think me a bad shot... but both of those bolts went exactly where I wanted them."

Kultra heard a tiny noise... the squeak of leather. Boot leather. And it wasn't from his boots. His eyes darted to the source of the noise, but there was nothing there.

Or was there?

His ears kept picking it up... the sound of stealthy footsteps circling him. The realization hit him just as the sound of another bolt being drawn reached his ears...

The archer was invisible.

"SHIT!"

Kultra threw himself to one side as a bolt sailed past him. It would have been another shoulder-shot, but thanks to his quick reflexes, the missile sank harmlessly into the warehouse wall.

Kultra swung his sword blindly, thinking that the woman may be charging. He hit nothing... but then...

CRUNCH!

A heavy, but invisible boot struck his hand. Kultra felt one of his fingers break, but he managed to keep the sword. He swung again at where he thought the foe might be-

WOOOSH!

-nothing. Then a blade slid along Kultra's right forearm, cutting him deep.

"ARRG!"

He made a futile kick, that struck nothing but air.

"Show yourself," Kultra hissed. His left arm was numb now, and he was loosing a lot of blood. The bolt had missed the major artery, but he could still bleed to death... if the invisible archer let him live that long.

Pain assaulted him, and a second deep cut appeared on Kultra's arm. Kultra spun and backed away. He kept moving, dodging and spinning... trying to keep away from something he couldn't see. Every few steps his sensitive ears would pick up a tell-tale footstep... a squeak of leather... but even with that, Kultra waltzed into as just as many slashes and kicks as he avoided. And each swing of his sword brought nothing but the hiss of the blade as it cut through empty air.

"Come ON!" said Kultra, looking around wildly. "Where are you!?" His right arm was in bloody shreds... but he still had his sword. That was what she wanted. She wanted him unarmed; but Kultra wasn't going to play that game. Not if he could help it.

He quickly found out that he could not.

He heard a footstep to one side. He turned-

WHAM!

The invisible fist caught him smack-dead in the face. A rapid-fire combination followed it... one punch to the gut, another to the face, a crushing blow to the knee, and a kick to the side of the head. Kultra had no hope of blocking any of them, and the next thing he knew, he was on the ground. His sword skidded away from his weak grasp. He rolled away just as an invisible foot came down.

THUMP!

It barely missed his head. He reached for his sword, but something unseen kicked it into the shadows.

Kultra rolled the other way-

WHUMP!

And a kick to the gut sent him sprawling. Ignoring the pain and the dizziness... not the mention the blood that was draining out of him... Kultra scrambled to his feet. He thought about grabbing the hunting knife from his boot... but it would only be kicked out of his hand before he could use it.

"You still stand?" said the woman.

"Who are you," said Kultra. He tried to get a fix on the woman's position. She was to his left, well out of range of his knife. She was getting closer, though.... circling him again...

"Who am I? I am the wife of the man you killed. You killed my husband."

"I've killed a lot of husbands," said Kultra. "You'll have to be more specific."

"The inn."

"Who? Stretcho?"

"His name was Reyd."

"Hell, HE was trying to kill ME! It was self defense!"

"All he wanted was the scroll. All you had to do was give it to him."

"And all HE had to do was ASK! But instead, he comes slidin' under my door-"

"An unarmed man," said the woman. "Or did you even stop to notice that he had no weapons."

"Didn't stop him from putting the squeeze on me."

"Now you will die like him. Unarmed. And the last thing you see will be... nothing."

Kultra listened to her come for him. He knew exactly where she was now. She'd stopped circling and was creeping in for another surprise attack. He heard a rustle of cloth-

Kultra threw himself into a short backward roll, and yanked the blade from his boot as he came up. Just gripping it sent pain shooting up and down his arm. He dodged to one side, and felt the wind from the woman's punch as it missed him. Kultra jabbed with his knife-

A hit!

The woman hissed, but there was only a tiny trickle of blood. It was a superficial wound... if even that. She retaliated immediately.

CRACK!

The warehouse spun around him as more pain blossomed in his head.

THUD!

CRACK!

THUMP!

A rain of strong, professionally-placed blows poured down on him. The woman was an accomplished fighter. She knew what to hit and how hard to hit it. More than once, Kultra felt his own newly-dislodged teeth sliding down his throat on a current of fresh blood. Kultra knew that he was alive only because she wasn't through toying with him.

"UNGH!"

WHAM!

An invisible backfist spun Kultra completely around. He still had his knife, and he struck. The knife cut something... but this time there was no blood at all. He'd probably sliced a hole in her shirt.

There was silence for a while. Kultra listened... and was rewarded by the sound of rapid footsteps. A charge!

Kultra spun out of the way. He felt the woman fly past him, and his spinning backfist connected solidly!

"UNNN!!!" the woman grunted.

CRACK!

Her front snap kick removed another few teeth from Kultra's bleeding gums. He had no way to block it, or even know it was coming. Instinctively, Kultra jumped to one side. The spinning hook-kick missed him, but an unseen blade opened up his shirt and just missed disemboweling him. Kultra's world exploded in another series of punches and kicks. He was on the receiving end of all of them. The woman beat him mercilessly... landing three blows for every one that Kultra even attempted. And each time Kultra hit, it was more by accident than skill. He lost and regained his knife several times, only to have it kicked out of his hand each time by an invisible boot. He'd just retrieved it again when well-placed kick sent him flying head first into a pile of empty crates.

There was a muffled yelp from someone that was neither Kultra or the woman. A guard had been perched atop the boxes, and when Kultra collided with them, the entire stack collapsed, depositing the man right at Kultra's feet.

Kultra immediately thrust his knife into the man's chest. He expired with a grunt and a spurt of blood.

Kultra smiled.

The death-energy flowed into him. Wounds healed. Bruises vanished. Reflexes quickened. And most importantly, Kultra's eyes became a strange greenish color. They saw normally at first, but a tiny bit of concentration activated a new set of nerve endings within his eyes. Everything around him changed. Colors shifted, and the remaining guards began to glow with a reddish-orange light. It was heat. Kultra could see their body heat...

... even if they happened to be invisible.

Kultra saw the woman charging. He couldn't make out any details of her face or clothes, but the yellowish-orange outline was already attacking... her foot arcing towards him. Still crouching over the dead guard, Kultra blocked the kick and punched the woman in the gut. Hard. His fist encountered some kind of light leather padding, but the woman still gasped as the force from the blow bruised her insides. Kultra leapt up and spun away from her ridge hand strike... and caught her with a hammer-fist blow to her temple.

The woman quickly backed away. Kultra could see her looking down at herself, and then back up at him.

"Oh yeah, I can see you," Kultra hissed. He dropped into a tight fighting stance.

"Get OUT of here, you idiots!" she screamed to the guards. The guards quickly began to leave... lest they accidentally provide another life-saving recharge for Kultra. The woman's head turned to Kultra and nodded.

"Bring it on!" he growled. She was more than happy to comply.

They both charged towards each other... only NOW it was a fair fight. In a frenzy of attacks, they traded blows and blocks, kicks and punches. Every punch she threw was for nothing, as Kultra easily blocked it and countered with two more. It soon became apparent that the woman, while still an excellent fighter, had relied on her invisibility for far too long. She made mistakes... and Kultra moved in...

CRACK!

A straight punch connected to the woman's face. She'd thought it was a feint... but quickly found that it was real enough. Kultra stepped back and introduced the tip of his boot to the bottom of her chin. Then did the same for his heal and her left temple... and for his fist and her jaw. The woman jumped backwards before Kultra's foot could meet her forehead.

Kultra pressed on. He blocked her attacks and plowed through her blocks with sheer brute force... and anger.

"You know-"

Kultra's punch missed, but her punch was thrown aside by Kultra's block.

"I usually don't like to hit women-"

Punch-block-punch-block-KICK! The woman reeled...

"But YOU-"

Two kicks, both blocked by the woman... barely...

"I'm gonna really LOVE pulverizing YOU!"

Kultra punched. The woman blocked... which was a grave error. It was a setup. Kultra's second punch emptied her lungs when it hit her just below the chest. What followed was a gruesome series of punches to the woman's face, ending in an uppercut that lifted her up off of the wooden floor. On her way down, Kultra caught her with a spinning back kick-

WHAM!

The woman demolished more empty crates as she collided with them. Kultra ran to retrieve his knife from the dead guard's chest, and then charged the woman... moving in for the kill...

"YOU LEAVE MY SISTER ALONE!"

"Huh?" Kultra spun. The blonde youth from earlier was standing in the doorway, flanked by guards on either side. He looked mad. Kultra would still have to fight his way out, but the guards were far too late to save the woman.

Unless...

Suddenly the blonde man raised his hands above his heads. The guards scattered. Kultra abandoned his attack and looked for a place to hide-

"FIRE ON!"

There was a bright burst of light. To Kultra's heat-sensitive vision it was like looking directly into the sun. Suddenly the blonde boy was no more... in his place was a man-shaped inferno. A human flame. Every inch of his body was on fire... even his clothes sprouted flames.

"Oh. Shit." Kultra gasped.

The man pointed a flaming limb at Kultra, and a jet of white-hot fire shot forth. Kultra was already in motion. He leapt to one side as the fireball demolished the floor behind him... tearing straight through the wood and leaving a gaping, flaming hole in its wake. Even at a distance of more than a yard, the residual heat was enough to singe Kultra's skin.

"AAAAH!!!"

"GET HIM!" the invisible woman shouted. Actually it was more of a mumbled grunt, but the flaming man responded just the same. He raised his hand and fired another blast... this time it was a continuous stream of fire that chased Kultra across the warehouse.

Kultra felt his clothes smoldering. He made flying leap... and sailed right through the flaming hole that the first fireball had left in the floor. The river was twenty feet below him.

SPLASH!

A second behind him was a stream of fire that evaporated the first three feet of water and boiled everything for yards around it. With his knife clasped firmly between his teeth, Kultra dove deep, and swam through the scalding water for all he was worth. His one-second head start was just enough to keep him from being boiled alive.

This is the second time I've had to run away from those two, he thought as he made for shore. No more surprises. Next time, it's to the finish...
---

Having nowhere else to go, Kultra eventually found himself at the bottom of the hill near the Seveltine mansion. It had been several hours since his encounter at the docks. His clothes were dry, but his skin still hurt from the near-boiling water swim he'd taken. Kultra had gone by the tavern only to find that Sanya's performance was over. He'd missed it by a half-hour. Kultra hurried back to the mansion and arrived just in time to see Sanya strolling up the hill towards her front door.

Kultra thought it odd that there were no escorts or guards accompanying her... but not odd enough to keep him away. He approached, and she seemed genuinely and pleasantly surprised when he emerged from the bushes.

"Kultra!" she gasped.

"Surprised to see me?" he asked.

"You did miss my performance. I thought maybe you'd moved on."

"Almost," said Kultra. "But I went for a swim instead."

"I see."

"I didn't. Not at first anyway. Things cleared up toward the end, though."

Sanya made a polite, but alluring smile. She had no idea what Kultra was talking about. She hesitated and then started walking toward the door.

"You're out by yourself tonight?" said Kultra.

"Tonight and every night. My father doesn't approve of my singing. Or of my being out so late."

"But you do both?"

"In enjoy singing. And walks in the moonlight. And I enjoy doing things my father doesn't want me to do." The reached the front door. "Are you coming inside?" she asked.

"I usually do," replied Kultra. "Unless you don't want me to."

Smiling, Sanya opened the door, revealing the empty interior of the house once again. The door opened into a short hallway, which led to a massive ballroom. It was cold and drafty, but it would have been quite inviting had it been furnished. From here, Sanya led him down another hallway to the right.

"I thought your father didn't like strangers in the house," said Kultra.

"He doesn't," Sanya replied.

"Tell me about him," said Kultra. "Your father."

"Whatever for?"

"Just curious about the man that's going to be running me out of his house later."

"Oh, I wouldn't fret about that. He's much too busy with mage's guild business. He's either asleep or so hard at work that he doesn't even know I'm back yet."

"Must be a pretty important man."

"He's the guildmaster, of course. He took over for Louis after..."

Sanya sighed and looked away.

"After what?"

"There was an accident. Louis was maimed, and had to retire."

Kultra picked up on the hint of sorrow in Sanya's voice.

"Were you and him close?"

"We were... friends."

"More than friends, I'd say."

"Louis Octerno was a brilliant man. Still is. We just had... problems afterwards. After the accident."

"Really? What sort of problems?"

"He changed. Became so involved in trying to continue his work... even though it was impossible given what had happened. But none of that matters now," said Sanya. "Poor Louis is long gone. He left the guild, and Xemlt. Never saw or heard from him again."

"Not a letter or anything?"

For some reason, that question upset Sanya. She shook her head rapidly and lowered her head.

"My apologies," said Kultra. He wondered about Sanya and this Octerno person. It sounded important, but he didn't know what to make of it. "So, why the move?" Kultra asked. "Things not going well at the guild?"

"I should say so. Father never talks about the guild. He just up and decided he wanted to be somewhere else one day. I wanted to stay, of course, but he'd have nothing of it. We argued, but it was to no avail."

"I'm sure he knows how that is," said Kultra.

"What?"

"I meant that he probably has good reason."

"Oh, he always does. But usually he keeps them to himself."

Sanya led him into a large sitting room, which still held a cozy sofa, a table, a fireplace, and a few tapestries on the wall. On the table was a magical lamp similar to the one in the inn. It was glowing brightly.

"Have a seat," Sanya waved him to the sofa while she walked over to the fireplace. It wasn't lit. She opened the fireplace doors.

"I'll do that for y-"

"Oh, hush," Sanya touched a metal plate on the wall next, and suddenly a roaring fire burst up from the bricks. Warmth flooded into the room. "This is a civilized house, Mr. Kultra. None of that bothering with logs and soot and ash."

"Being in the mage's guild must have its advantages, then."

"Oh, bah. Everyone has these. All of the houses have some kind of magic in them. All the modern conveniences"

"Magic is big in this town, eh? Must keep the guild pretty busy."

Sanya slinked across the room and sat down on the sofa... at the opposite end from Kultra.

"Enough about the guild," she said. "Tell me about you."

"Not much to say."

"What do you do?"

"Other than move furniture, you mean?"

"Oh, come now... you're much too handsome to be a common laborer."

"Once, I was a professional seducer of women, but I fell upon hard times. There were so few women worthy of my talents that I had to resort to manual labor."

Sanya laughed out loud. Kultra wondered what was so funny... his words hadn't been THAT amusing.

"Well, I hope you've found someone worthy in our little town."

"There is a certain woman that's caught my eye."

"Really? Tell me about her, then."

Kultra leaned forward and kissed Sanya. The kiss lasted far longer than he'd anticipated.

"Perhaps we should relocate?" said Kultra. "To the bedroom?"

"Right here is just fine," said Sanya. She reached behind her and extinguished the lamp. Now, only the flickering light of the fireplace lit the room. "For starters."

Kultra slid across the sofa and they kissed again.

Kultra awoke in the feathery softness of Sanya's bed. Her room was just down the hall from the sitting room, nestled in a corner where the hallway made a sharp right turn. Kultra vaguely remembered relocating there sometime during the night. He felt the warmth of Sanya's body next to him, and heard her soft, rhythmic breathing.

He also heard the quiet, stealthy footsteps in the hallway... and the gentle clink of metal as some idiot adjusted their sword. Kultra's sensitive ears picked up all of these sounds clearly... but that wasn't telling him what he was up against.

Kultra closed his eyes and activated the heat-sensitive vision he'd given himself last night. He peered at the wall, and saw four men... no, five. Their heat signatures were clearly visible through the relatively cool wall. They were methodically making their way down the hallway, each man stopping to carefully inspect a room.

Kultra nudged Sanya. She awoke, and Kultra motioned for her to be quiet.

"Men," he whispered. "Outside."

"What? I don't hear anyth-"

"Trust me."

Kultra rolled out of bed and got dressed as quickly and quietly as he could. Sanya did the same, but whereas Kultra was fully dressed, she'd only donned a sheer slip by the time the first man reached her bedroom door.

Kultra took a couple of seconds to ogle her fine womanly attributes, then returned his attention to the door.

Kultra saw the knob turning, and colorful outline of the man on the other side. He reached for his swords, but then remembered that they were in a warehouse on the other side of town. All he had was his knife.

"Hmph. Why should my luck change now?" he mumbled. He motioned for Sanya to step back against the wall. She did.

The bedroom door creaked open-

"What's going on here!" came a shout from the hallway. "WHO- WHAT are you doing here!? Get away from my daughter's bedroom!"

It was Seveltine!

"You betrayed us!" someone answered. Kultra didn't recognize the voice. "You're harboring a Directorate spy!"

"What? What are you talking about!"

Sanya pulled the door open and ran out into the hall before Kultra could stop her.

"FATHER!" she screamed "WHO are these men!"

"The boss has no tolerance for treachery," said another armed man. "Especially from someone who he once considered a friend."

Kultra looked at their heat signatures through the wall. Seveltine was speaking with three of the men while the other two stood back and waited. Sanya was approaching them... but so was another person. That person was creeping up from the opposite end of the hall.

The shape was female, and she walked with a definite limp. None of the others in the hallway even noticed she was there. She paused a short distance from the others, raised her hands, and pointed something at them.

"Uh-oh." said Kultra. He prepared to move.

"You men get OUT of my house!" said Seveltine.

"Not until we search the place."

"No! You get out right NO- URCK!"

The cross-bow bolt exploded from the front of Seveltine's neck, and he collapsed. Even if he hadn't been looking the other way, he never would have seen it coming. But Kultra had, and he was ready to act. Before Seveltine's body hit the floor... while Sanya was drawing her breath to scream... Kultra burst from the bedroom and ran straight for the ballroom at the end of the hall. He threw his arm around Sanya as he passed her, and together they were past the armed men before the men even knew what was happening.

"AAAAAAA!!!" she finally screamed.

"THERE HE IS!" shouted the invisible archer. "GET THEM BOTH!"

The would-be assassins ran after them. A single man jumped out of one of the rooms just as Kultra was running past.

Kultra saw blond hair, and knew that this was one man who had to die right NOW! He released Sanya and struck with his knife. The man dodged at the last minute, and Kultra's blade sank to the hilt in his shoulder instead of his heart.

"ARRGH!" The man backed away, but not before-

CRACK!


Kultra punched the man in the face. He collapsed.

"Flaming wimp."

Suddenly, Kultra remembered the archer. He threw himself backwards, knocking Sanya against the wall just as a bolt whizzed past his face. The other swordsmen were closing fast. Once again, there was no time to go for the kill.

"Come on!"

Kultra grabbed Sanya, and at that exact moment, the entire house shook. There was a loud crashing noise at the front door. Kultra didn't know what it was, but he was about to find out. The house continued to shake as if rocked by a series of explosions-

BOOM!

BOOM!

BOOM!

BOOM!

"What the hell!"

"DIIIE!"

The first swordsman reached him. Kultra dodged, drove his boot into the man's crotch, and snatched the sword from his hand all in one fluid motion.

BOOM!

BOOM!

Whatever it was was getting CLOSER!

CLANK!

A second swordsman was on the attack. Kultra blocked his first blow and the two began to fight.

"Sanya! Run for the door while I hold them back!" Kultra shouted. More swordsman arrived just as Sanya turned and ran for the end of the hall. Kultra found himself fighting two... then three... then four men. Kultra blocked a downward slash and kicked a second man out of the way. He took a deep cut along his thigh from a third man, but the fourth caught Kultra's fist in the left temple. The men re-grouped and charged again. Kultra spun, blocked, slashed, and backed away. He saw the archer at the end of the hall, but she couldn't get a good shot with all of her men in the way. But the flaming man would probably regain consciousness any second now.

And all the while, the damned BOOMING noise was getting closer and closer.

"EEEEEEEEE!!!!!" Sanya screeched. She ran back down the hall toward Kultra.

"What the HELL!?! I thought I told you to-"

There was something HUGE right behind her. It filled the entire hallway from top to bottom, and it's powerful shoulders scraped the walls as it followed her in.

It looked like a hulking giant... nine feet tall at the least. His body was made out of huge coal-black rocks. Each of its footsteps shook the walls and left cracks in the marble floor.

BOOM!

BOOM!

"Grim!" the archer yelled. "CRUSH HIM!"

"CONSIDER HIM CRUSHED!" roared the rock-man. He stormed down the hallway.

"Great," Kultra hissed. "That's just great."

Kultra ducked under a swordstrike and took advantage of one swordsman's preoccupation with the approaching behemoth.

"URKKK!" Kultra's sword pierced his heart. Death energy flowed into him, and his body began to change. Bones lengthened. Muscles bulged. Clothes ripped and fell from his body. Kultra's skin thickened and hardened into a stony carapace. In mid-change, Kultra took a sword-strike from one of the men... the blade just drew sparks from his rocky hide. Now in the form of a gray stone giant... Kultra drew himself up to his full nine-foot height.

Predictably, the swordsmen fled.

"Get behind me," he said to Sanya... who was staring at him with wild, panic-filled eyes. "We're goin' right THROUGH that guy-"

Kultra grabbed his pack from where it had fallen, and charged the black giant,

The two collided.

KRA-BOOM!

The shockwaves knocked everyone off of their feet... except for Kultra and Grim. The two giants stood toe to toe and eye to eye. Neither one was the least bit fazed.

"Yer pretty strong," said Grim. "But not stronger than me."

"We'll see about that!"

The two grabbed each other and began to wrestle... throwing each other into walls and pummeling each other with huge rocky fists. Grim was right, not only was he the stronger of the two, but his hide could take more punishment that Kultra's gray exoskeleton. After only a few hits, red blood was trickling down Kultra's stony skin in quite a few places.

But Kultra was clearly the better fighter. He moved back as Grim charged, and caught the giant with a side kick.

BOOM!

"RRRRGGG!!!"

Grim stumbled back out into the ballroom, and Kultra was right behind him. He let loose with a combination of kicks and punches that spun his opponent around and sent him careening into a wall. Now Grim was bleeding. But he was also mad!

Grim charged once more. Kultra jumped to one side and brought his knee up into Grim's lower chest. It hurt Kultra's knee more than it hurt his opponent.

"OUCH!"

Grim spun and threw a surprisingly fast backfist strike. For a split second, Kultra had no idea where he was or what he was doing. Grim reminded him with another punch. Everything went black for an instant, and then Kultra opened his eyes and saw Grim's rocky foot descending towards his head. Kultra rolled, and the foot demolished the floor where he'd been laying. Grim charged. Kultra raised both of his legs and thrust his feet into the giant's chest with as much force as he could muster.

THOOOOM!!!

Grim hit the far wall with enough force to dislodge a section of the ceiling.... which immediately crashed down on top of him, burying him in rubble.

"Sanya!" Kultra bellowed. "Where are y-"

"RAAAAAAAGGGGGHHH!!!!"

Grim emerged from the pile of rock and charged. There was berserk rage in his eyes. Kultra dodged and struck at the man's neck with the ridge of his hand.

"HA!"

"UNGH!"

An ordinary man's neck would have snapped, but Grim just got even madder.

"What the hell was THAT supposed to be!?" he bellowed. He lunged at Kultra, and the two hit the ground. They rolled around once... twice... finally Grim got one hand around Kultra's neck and began pounding Kultra's face with the other.

Kultra tired to push the giant off of him, but he couldn't dislodge the incredibly strong... and heavy... giant.

"You leave him alone!" Sanya yelled. She ran up to Grim and began hitting him. Her tiny fists did absolutely no damage to the black, rocky giant. Kultra doubted that he could even feel her blows, but he backhanded her nonetheless. Sanya sailed across the room and collapsed near the door. Kultra took advantage of the momentary distraction to bring both his fists together in front of him... one each side of Grim's head

THOOOM!!

"OOOOWWWW!"

Kultra shoved Grim back and quickly got to his feet. He threw a