Part 49: Twisas' Predicament

Twisas awoke, disoriented and slightly uncomfortable. "Ug...where am I?" Her eyes became accustomed to the light, and she noticed she was in a cave. It wasn't really all that dark, because there was a medium-sized opening off to the left a little ways, where sunlight filtered in. Ahead of her and a little to the right was a large wooden table, with many vials of different colored liquids on it. And then Twisas realized she was chained to the wall. Her wrists were ensnared in steel shackles that were suspended at right angles to her body, though her feet were not held in any way. Feeling more conscious and awake, she struggled against the steel chains, trying to break free, but was having little luck. "Ah, you're awake," said a voice. A person in red Robes of Zamorak walked into the cavernous room from a passageway to the right. "Who are you, and why have you brought me here?" Twisas demanded, getting straight to the point. The Monk smiled, though it wasn't a smile of friendliness. It was more of a smile of satisfaction. "Okay, fine. First off, I am the one that suppressed your friends' memories. We actually go way back, you might say." Twisas waited for the answer to her other question, all the while still subtly trying to free her wrists. She wasn't having any luck, though. "I mainly had two reasons for bringing you here. One, you were beginning to become a nuisance. Jaron and the others weren't supposed to remember anything, and you were helping them search for answers." "If you think your plan even would have succeeded in the first place," she said, "you're wrong. Jaron, Omega, and Ultima Cow were traveling together before I even met up with them today. And I'm sure there are others like me who would have done the same thing."

"Which brings me to my second point," the Monk replied. "As you can see, and for reasons you don't need to know, I've become quite skilled in the art of Herblore. I've made all kinds of potions no one has ever seen before, and yet I have no way to test them out without alerting people to my presence here. I have ideas of their uses, but no hard observations. You, my friend, are going to have the honor of being the test subject in my Herblore experiments." "Oh, that sounds fun," Twisas said sarcastically. "Indeed it will be. For me, anyway," the Monk replied. He took a Dragon Dagger off the table and submersed the tip in one of the colored vials, and then walked over to where Twisas was held. She lashed out with her foot to try to kick him, but he jumped back out of the way. "I was expecting that," he grinned. "Don't make me shackle your feet to the wall, too." Obviously not having the upper hand, Twisas sighed and glared at him. He walked up and poked her in the shoulder with the dagger. Not enough to hurt, but enough to allow the poison into her bloodstream. Twisas' "get away from me" attitude diminished, as her eyes became glassy and she found herself disoriented once again. The Monk looked pleased and walked back to his table. Just then, Jaron entered the room through the left entrance, with his Dragon Battle Axe in hand! "...I could use a little help over here," Twisas muttered, barely able to speak. Jaron looked at her. "Why? You're chained to a wall! Finally, you might just shut up for once." Twisas raised her eyebrow. "...what? Jaron, come on...seriously..." The Monk turned around from where he was working to face Twisas, obviously pleased about something. Jaron walked over to the right, and leaning against the table, spoke again. "It was our plan all along, the Monk's and mine. We'd capture you, test out the potions he made, and sell them to become rich!" Twisas slowly blinked, nearly unable to raise her head. "But...that's not like you...you're lying..." The Monk walked up to her with an evil smile. "It seems my hallucination potion is a success." Twisas looked back at the table, and Jaron was gone.

"Dang! Where could she be?" Jaron asked, frustrated. "Anywhere, by now," Omega said, tired of searching. Ultima Cow sat down on a nearby rock. "Jaron, we've searched Yanille, every house in Ardougne, and everything between the two. We've got to rest if we're going to find Twisas." Jaron looked down. (She's counting on us, but he's right. We won't be able to search very well if we're all tired. Just hold on, Twisas...we'll find you. I promise.) "...Fine," he said relentfully. "We'll go find a place to sleep in Ardougne." They went off to Ardougne, and upon finding a place to stay, quickly fell asleep.

"Where am I?" asked Jaron, looking around. Everywhere was blackness. "You're dreaming," someone said. In front of him was someone familiar, right down to the silly pointed hat. "Hey, you're--me?" asked Jaron. The person smiled. "No, but we do look alike. Which was a good thing at one time. But that's beside the point. Twisas needs your help," he said, his attitude becoming more serious. "I think I've figured that out," Jaron said sarcastically, "but I don't know where to search." The other person cocked his head. "You know two things. One, the person that took her away likes high places, obviously. Two, she's south of Lumbridge Castle." "How do I know that?" asked Jaron. "Because I said so," came the reply. Jaron studied him carefully. "Just trust me on this one. And hurry." He turned away and started to walk into the blackness. "Wait--what's your name?" called Jaron. He turned back to look at Jaron and smiled. "Call me Shadow." And then Jaron woke up.

Part 50: Into the Shadows

Jaron looked around. It was daylight, and time to get up. (What a strange dream...Shadow? Where have I heard that name before? Wasn't that Bebitwinnie's friend? Ah, well. Wait a second--Shadow told me where to find Twisas. Lumbridge? It's worth a shot.) He woke up the rest of the group and prepared for departure. Ultima Cow, barely awake, staggered over to Jaron. "Ultima Cow, do you have a charged Amulet of Glory?" asked Jaron. "Uh, yeah, why?" "We need to get to Draynor Village, quickly." Omegaman looked at Jaron. "We're abandoning our search?" Jaron glanced back, determination in his eyes. "Not yet. But I've got an idea of where she may be." Ultima Cow left to withdraw his Amulet of Glory from the Bank. A few minutes later he returned, and with a purple flash, they all were gone. Several seconds later, Deathstorm (back from the Castle Wars game) walked into the room, looking around suspiciously. Then he, too, pulled out an Amulet of Glory and vanished.

"Uh, why are we heading out here again?" asked Tai as the group walked into the swamps east of Draynor. "I think Twisas may be here," Jaron merely answered. Tai looked to 911, who shrugged, unknowing. Omegaman ran to catch up with Jaron. "Look for a high place," Jaron said, his eyes scanning the area. "This is a swamp, there's no high places around," Omega replied. "Even so..." Once they were deep into the swamp, they split up and looked for any signs of a 'high place'. Shortly after, they met back up next to the nearby coal rocks. "Did anyone find anything?" asked Jaron hopefully. He was met with silence. No answers. He lowered his head. (I've failed...brought them all out here for nothing. And now I've lost someone...) "Wow, we're so high up..." came a nearby voice. Jaron snapped to attention so quickly he nearly hurt his neck. The others had heard it as well. They all ran towards the sound of the voice, and finally found several people standing at the cliffs, where the sea meets the southern part of the continent. They were mostly all in Rune armor, although one had a strange golden helmet. (Another had a golden pointed hat.) The people turned around upon realizing they had company. "Uh, hi?" said one. "Hello," Jaron replied, getting to the point. "What did you say a second ago?" The person gave Jaron a strange look. "Um, well, I said we're high up. Look around--it's a long way down to the water from these cliffs." Jaron walked over to the edge, his eyes widening. "That's it! Why didn't I think of it before? Compared to the water, this place is high up! Omega, grab my feet." "Excuse me, what?" said Omegaman, surprised. "I'm going out over the edge. Don't drop me," Jaron said with a grin. Omega, with a puzzled look, walked over to where Jaron was and held onto his ankles. Jaron slowly edged over the cliff, until he was hanging upside-down and only his feet were visible to everyone else. "Pull me up," they heard him say. Brandon helped Omega pull Jaron back up the cliff, and to their surprise, he was smiling. "There's a cave in the cliff," he grinned. "Someone run to Draynor and get a rope."

The Monk walked back over to his table. "Well, we know that potion works," he smiled. "Ug..." came the weak reply. The Monk pulled out another vial, ready to test another potion. Twisas was still awake, but not conscious enough to realize what was going on around her. Just then, Jaron entered the room through the left entrance, with his Dragon Battle Axe in hand! A few other people ran in behind him. "Twisas!" Jaron said at once, seeing her. The Monk hadn't noticed their entry. He spun around. "What?? How did you find this place?" The Monk quickly set down the vial he was holding and switched it with another, plunging his dagger into it. Then he jumped over to Twisas and stabbed the dagger into her shoulder, and jumped back. "The caverns are too extensive. You'll never find me," the Monk laughed, running into the passages to Twisas' right. Jaron stared after him. "Don't follow him. He knows the caves better than we do." Then he ran over to Twisas, who was apparently slightly confused. "...I thought you had a plan against me...bah..." she said, and then fainted. Her wrists were still held in the shackles, so her body leaned forward a bit before being caught against the wall. The others broke open the shackles and carefully got Twisas above ground. "Look at all those potions...should we take them?" asked Ultima Cow. "No, some may be explosive. It's not worth the risk," Jaron replied, leaving the potions alone.

"Is she dead?" asked someone, once they were all back above ground. "No," Ultima Cow replied. "She's just sleeping. Although you think she'd have woken up by now," he said, puzzled. "Thanks for helping us out," Jaron said to the other group. "No problem! What are you guys going to do?" asked the other person. Jaron looked to his group. "Not really sure. Wait until Twisas wakes up, and see what she tells us, I guess," Jaron replied. "Can we travel with you?" asked the person. (I don't see why not, I suppose,) Jaron thought. "Sure, if you want." "Thanks! I'm Magicana, and this is Cowseatalot, Toxic, EaglesFan, Bustergod, Bnjy, Petrenks, and Blackhairtp," he replied, introducing all of his friends. "We just doubled the size of our group," Omega said, rolling his eyes.

Part 51: Reflection

Magicana described his group as he introduced them. "Cowseatalot here is the one with the new Trimmed Rune armor." "Yep, hi, Cowseatalot," Cowseatalot said, self-introducing himself. "I do not," Ultima Cow replied. Omega rolled his eyes. Magicana continued. "This is Toxic, our Ranger." Toxic shook Jaron's hand, then recognized him. "Hey, I remember you! Your group walked past when Iissam and I were having a...debate," she said. Jaron shook his head. "Sorry, I don't remember. I'll explain later." Magicana spoke again. "We call EaglesFan here our Village Idiot. Bustergod's the one with the Halberd, and Bnjy's got the golden helmet. Blackhairtp's our resident Runecrafter, and Petrenks just kind of comes along for the ride." Each nodded in turn.

All eighteen (Twisas still asleep, probably from exhaustion) of them left the swamp and walked towards Draynor. Andrey ran in to get some food for lunch, and they all decided to have a sort of picnic. Finding a nice grassy area just west of Draynor Bank, they started eating. "You said you were going to explain something," Toxic said to Jaron, raising an eyebrow. "Oh, yeah. Okay, here's how the story goes. Apparently, our memories have been stolen," Jaron began. "What, everyone?" asked Bustergod, alarmed. "No, not everyone. As far as I can tell, it's just me, Omega, and Ultima Cow. Other people seem to know us, yet we can't remember a thing." Bebitwinnie spoke up. "Heh, that reminds me of the other day, when this lady kept trying to tell me about some telekinetic grab I did in the Varrock Bank Vault. Since when would I steal from a Bank," she said, smiling. They all stared at her. "What?" "Maybe it's happened to you, too," Omega hypothesized. "That would explain my...vision," Jaron muttered. "Hmm?" asked Omega. "Well, back during Castle Wars, I saw Bebitwinnie, except we were in a desert. And it felt real...not like a dream." Ultima Cow nearly choked on his piece of cake, then spoke. "I had something like that, too, but it was of you guys," he said, indicating Jaron and Omega. "And of that thief guy we met in Castle Wars." They all looked at Omega, who seemed uncomfortable. "Eh, well, me too, I guess, but I saw Brandon." This was all too much.

"Okay, let's recap," Jaron said. "If we assume that everyone who can't remember some things is affected, and that the people we see in the vision-thingies are affected, then that comes to me, Omega, Ultima Cow, Bebitwinnie, Brandon, and maybe the thief Ultima Cow saw." "What about everyone else?" asked Tai. Jaron shook his head. "There's no way to tell. It may have been thirty other people for all we know. Half of you guys may be affected and not know it, or none of you." Jaron took off his pointy hat and tossed it up, catching it on the way down. "What are you doing?" asked Bulldog, puzzled. "Nothing. I'm just bored. Shouldn't Twisas be awake by now?" And there was Twisas, lying unconscious. "Hmm...you're right. If anything, it seems like she's sleeping even more soundly," Ultima Cow observed. Jaron grabbed her shoulders and gently shook her. "Hey...wake up. You're missing lunch." But she didn't awake, even after he shook her again. "Dang," Omega said. "What do you think it is?" asked 911. Ultima Cow spoke up. "Remember what happened? The Monk stabbed her with some sort of sleeping poison and ran off. We should go see the Druids for an antidote, in case it's serious." With that, they packed up and walked westward, to Taverly.

Behind a tree not far away, Deathstorm quietly ate some chocolate cake. (Look at all those weapons and armors...I bet I could steal them...) He quietly and unnoticeable followed the group; there, yet unseen.

Part 52: Seventeen Awake, One Asleep

The group traveled north from Draynor, west and north into Falador, and then north and west again into Taverly. It was quite a journey, but no one complained. (Twisas slept through the whole thing.) Finally, they arrived in Taverly, town of the Herblorist Druids. One of them saw the group and came running. "Ah, Jaron! And Omegaman, and Ultima Cow! ...Where's the other ranger? Scholzman, is it?" Jaron looked confused, but understood what was going on. It happened often enough by now. "Um, hi. 'Scholzman'...isn't here. We do need your help, though, if you don't mind." The Druid ushered them into a house. (Scholzman, Shadow...how many others are there?) Jaron wondered as they walked inside.

Twisas lay on the Druid's bed. The Druid studied her posture carefully, and then finally made an announcement. "She's sleeping." Omega rolled his eyes. "We knew that, the jumping guy stabbed her," 911 said. The Druid spoke again. "Allow me to clarify. Your friend has been injected with a very powerful sleeping potion. While the potion has some good uses, such as not needing food or drink while asleep, it also had its side effects." "Which are...?" pressed Jaron. "She won't be able to wake up on her own. An antidote is needed." There was an awkward silence, while the true extent of what was happening set in. "Please tell me you know how to make the antidote," Jaron said. "I do," the Druid replied. "However, the ingredients are not easy to come by. A potion this powerful is rarely used. Should you still wish to try, I may be able to help, although I don't know how much." Ultima Cow pondered aloud. "Lessee...if we don't try, Twisas sleeps forever. If we do, we'll get our friend back. The decision seems clear to me." "And me." "And I." "Yeah, me too." Jaron turned to the Druid, tilting his pointy hat and smiling. "How do we start?"

"There's a lengthy list of ingredients you'll need. I have a few of them, though I don't know exactly how many. First off, you'll need a Talnift Herb." "Never heard of that one," Toxic said. "Indeed, it is a rare herb," the Druid continued, "but I believe the Trolls have some." A look of shock passed their faces. "Wait--the Trolls? As in the big rock-throwing-ugly monsters?" asked Blackhairtp. The Druid seemed unfazed. "Yep, they're the ones. I hear they've got some in their storeroom. Good luck." After a few moments, Jaron spoke again. "Well, it seems we're heading to Trollheim, guys. Let's go." As they filed out of the Druid's house, Jaron stopped at the door to ask something. "Oh, by the way--" "Yes?" inquired the Druid. "--do you know how to make any sort of Memory Restore potion?" The Druid pondered that thought. "Not personally, but we have an extensive potion-cookbook of sorts hidden away. I shall fetch it and get back to you on that, Jaron." With that, the group walked north, leaving Twisas in the Druid's capable hands.

Part 53: See Troll. See Troll Attack. See Jaron Run.

The group of seventeen (Twisas left in Taverly) walked north towards Burthorpe. "Look at all the Soldiers!" commented Bulldog. Indeed, everywhere they looked, a soldier was training, ready to defend his own against any onslaught of the Trolls. They walked northwest from Burthorpe, their eyes scanning the ground for any remaining Talnift Herb. Finally, they came to a fork in the road. "Which way?" asked Omegaman. "Hmm...let's take the left road," Jaron finally decided. But it wasn't long until the left road came to a dead-end at a house. Bebitwinnie knocked on the door. "Go away!" came the reply. "But--" "I said go away!" "Sir, we just--" "Leave!" Jaron looked at the others. It was clear they weren't going to be able to get this way. They returned to the fork, and rested from the long uphill-downhill walk. "So, is this our point of ingress?" asked Brandon. They stared at him. "He's asking if this is the way to go," Jaron said, translating. "Oh. Yeah, seems that way," Petrenks replied. "Tell ya what," Magicana began. "You guys go that way, and I'll see if there were any other ways around the house." Jaron pondered the idea. (It's not always usual for a clan to split up, but whatever is faster works better for Twisas' health.) "Okay, sure. If anyone wants to go with Magicana, go now. Otherwise, we're taking this...dangerously narrow passage," Jaron said, really looking over the right-hand fork for the first time.

Jaron, Omega, Ultima Cow, Bebitwinnie, Brandon, Bulldog, Andrey, Tai, and 911 went together through the passage. Magicana's original group, consisting of him, Cowseatalot, Toxic, EaglesFan, Bustergod, Bnjy, Petrenks, and Blackhairtp went together as well. Currently, Jaron's group made progress through the passage, which was barely big enough for two people to walk side by side. "Wait--" Omega hushed. They stood still. The sound of light falling rocks could be heard. "What?" Jaron whispered. "Hm. Thought I heard something," Omega replied. Just then, they all heard the unmistakable sound of a large rock rolling down a cliff! They looked up in time to see a boulder hurling down at them! "Scatter!" yelled Andrey as he dived out of the way. They ran the rest of the passage, the occasional small rock hitting them. At the end, finally, was a ladder, leading up to a new shelf of rock. Once up there, they regrouped. "You're bleeding, Tai," Bebitwinnie pointed out. Sure enough, one of the rocks had hit his head, causing a well-sized bump and some red hair. "I'll be fine," grimaced Tai. Whatever the Trolls' obsession with rocks was, it was dangerous. Several steps away from where Jaron's group stood were the several Trolls who had rolled down the rocks, yet all were now under attack by Soldiers. "Looks like they don't really care about us at the moment," Jaron said. Then a sound came from nearby. "Psst! Up here!" They all turned to see Magicana's group even higher up behind them. Magicana pointed to a steep, yet climbable slope nearby. A nearby Troll saw them and grunted, running at them and hoping to attack. They didn't waste a second getting up that slope.

"How did you get up here?" asked Jaron, making sure they were safe from the Troll below. "Well, once the old guy figured out we hated the Trolls as much as he did, he let us bypass his house. He's got this really cool gray hat. Anyway, there's a shortcut back there behind his house," Magicana replied. "We met someone else on the shortcut," Cowseatalot said, gesturing to a new person in full Guthix armor and a Dragon Battle-Axe. "This is Coran. We've already explained the situation, and he wants to tag along." "Not a problem," Jaron smiled, shaking hands with Coran. All together again (plus one), they walked north, and found to their surprise a large castle built into the rock wall dead ahead. "That must be the fabled Troll Stronghold," Toxic said, wide-eyed. "It's not a fable anymore. It's our destination," Jaron said with determination.

Part 54: Fortress of Trolls

The entire group walked north towards the huge fortress built into the side of the rock wall. Upon going further, they finally came to a fork in the path. One led to the left, one led to the right. There were no markings to signify which way was better. "Which way?" inquired Cowseatalot. Jaron, as always, pondered the situation, but with no markings or any other evidence, it was a complete guess as to which way was best. "I don't know," he said. "No ideas here. Want to just take the right path?" Most everyone shrugged, not really caring which way they went, as long as they found a Talnift Herb. Jaron looked at the group's indecisiveness, and noticed Magicana, who was strangely still with his face devoid of emotion. "Uh...Magicana?" Magicana blinked and realized where he was. "I've...been here before," he mumbled. "You have?" asked Bebitwinnie. Magicana nodded. "It was like those visions you were talking about. All I know is that the left path leads to a secret entrance, and the right path isn't very safe." They all knew what this meant--Magicana must have been one of the people affected by the amnesia! "Well, then unless there are any objections, the left path it is," Jaron announced, finally happy to have some information on the matter.

Indeed, the left path did lead to a secret entrance into the Troll Stronghold. Once inside, the group found a Troll jailguard sleeping on the job. Someone was sitting inside the cell, and he stood as soon as he noticed the group. Ultima Cow noticed at once the sleeping guard and put his finger to his lips, indicating silence. "Can you help me out?" the prisoner quietly whispered. They looked around the room. Nothing could be used to free him...only the keys the guard was holding. "Who's the best pickpocket?" asked Jaron quietly. No one raised their hand, evidently afraid of what would happen if they failed. Jaron sighed and took the task upon himself, creeping over to the Troll guard, still fast asleep. Carefully, he pried the keys from the jailguard's hands, but just as he took them, the guard's eyes opened. "EEARGGH!" the Troll roared, throwing out his large fist and slamming Jaron (with the keys) into the wall opposite, where his hat fell off of his head and he fell unconscious. But one Troll is no match for seventeen other people. In no time at all, the Troll was taken down by arrows, magic, halberd swipes and other melee weapons. Jaron groggily woke up to see the prisoner standing over him. "Thanks. Not many people would have done that for me," he said, helping Jaron to his feet. "I'm Low Scorer, and I'd be honored if you'd let me join your party." "Uh, no problem, I guess," Jaron said, dizzy and rubbing the back of his head. He replaced his hat, and they all continued deeper into the stronghold.

Deathstorm walked in from behind a large rock. "This is an awful lot of trouble to go to, but the reward gets greater all the time." He looked down at the troll. "I could have pickpocketed him easily, even from inside the cell." The ground was suddenly covered in shadows. Deathstorm turned around, and took a step back.

They could hear multitudes of Trolls stomping and walking around upstairs. "Let's hope we don't have to go up there," Bnjy said. The tunnel they were in led to the kitchen, which was poorly guarded. Only the Cook was there, and even though Trolls are mainly stupid, they know enough to realize when they're outnumbered. "Where can I find a Talnift Herb?" Jaron asked the Troll in a no-nonsense tone. "Me not have any Talnift. Only Troll Commander upstairs has one. I not argue with him, he strong," the Cook replied. "I blame you for this," Bustergod jokingly muttered to Bnjy. Jaron walked over to the nearby staircase, where the sounds of the Trolls upstairs were louder. They all knew what they had to do next, but they didn't have to like it.

Part 55: Moving Through the Ranks

The group of nineteen moved silently up the stairs, hoping to attract as little attention as possible. They actually did quite well for such a large group, and only met one or two 'obstacles' on their way to the Troll Commander, which was much better than they had hoped. Upon entering the Troll Commander's room, he turned around. Much larger than the other Trolls, and carrying a much larger club to boot, he loomed over the group. "Human intruders! I smash you!" Jaron raised his hand, hoping to avoid violence in some way. Most of the group was intimidated by the sheer size of the Commander. "One moment. You don't have to smash us...all we want is a Talnift Herb. Have you heard of it?" The Commander slightly lowered his club, in what seemed to be thinking. If Trolls had the mental capacity to think, anyway. "I have much Talnift, but I not give it to puny human! I smash you!" Jaron sighed. "Can we offer anything in trade for it?" "Me do want bigger club." "You've got a big enough club as it is." "Pointy hat man not trade! I smash you!"

The Commander promptly brought his club down on where Jaron had been standing, but Jaron had already dived out of the way. This guy was powerful, but slow. He swung his club again, sideways, but everyone within his reach jumped backwards, just out of the way. Omegaman and Toxic let loose a barrage of arrows. The Commander knocked many out of the air with his club, but the ones that did hit him barely made any difference, besides making him even more angry. All nine warriors moved in with their melee weapons, but with the Troll Commander's amazing power in the swing of his club, several of them were hit and flew back against the wall, slumping to the ground. Still partially dizzy from hitting his head before, Jaron wearily looked over at Ultima Cow. "You've got to stun him!" Ultima Cow nodded and raised his staff. "ENTANGLE!" The Troll Commander stopped dead in his tracks, not able to move his feet or arms. "Huh? I not move!" "And that's a good thing," 911 muttered. Bebitwinnie and Blackhairtp cast Air Blasts on the Troll, knocking him against his own wall, while the rest of the meleers moved in for the kill. "Ug! Wait! Humans beat Commander. You take Talnift and leave?" Jaron stood up, gently leaning against the wall. "Don't finish him off. We've got what we need now."

The party moved back downstairs toward the secret entrance/exit to the Stronghold. They had the Talnift Herb in their possession, and the Commander should be gaining the feeling back in his feet in a little while. They had barely entered the kitchen when they heard the all-too-familiar yells of Trolls. "You escape no more! We smash you!" "What's their fascination with the word 'smash'?" Bulldog muttered as they ran down the tunnel towards the cells. Standing there were four Trolls, and in the middle, someone in black clothes. "Hey, that's the thief I saw in Castle Wars!" exclaimed Ultima Cow, "The one I had a vision of!" "We can't let him die--he may know something about our memories," Jaron said to the others. "Like you would have let him die anyway," Omega joked, rolling his eyes. The Trolls turned their attention from the thief to the group. But it was the last thing they did, as the group made short work of them. The thief stood there, shocked. "You...saved me?" "That's what we do," Jaron smiled. "Boy, did I have you guys figured out wrong," the thief said. "I didn't think you'd save me at all. I'm Deathstorm, by the way." "So, you don't remember us?" asked Brandon. "Um...no, should I?" They explained the matter to him. "Hmm...so we used to be friends? That's...interesting. In that case, can I come with you? I may remember something." Jaron tilted his head back in exasperation and rubbed his neck. "Well, it's getting to be a big group, but seeing as you already have a part in this, I guess so. You have to promise not to steal anything from any of us, though," Jaron said in a more serious tone. "You have my word," came Deathstorm's reply.

Part 56: Checkpoint!

The travel-weary group of twenty finally arrived in Taverly and went to see the Druid. Twisas was, to no one's surprise, still peacefully sleeping on the bed. The Druid came up to them. "Has your party grown? It sure seems that way." He took one look at Tai and grabbed a vial off a nearby shelf. "Here, drink this. It will help with that head injury of yours. Anyway, how did it go?" Jaron showed the Talnift Herb to the Druid. "Ah, excellent! And now for some good news, yes? As it turns out, I have more ingredients for this potion than I thought I did, and I only require two more." Jaron's face brightened at that. "Great!" "Indeed it is," replied the Druid, continuing. "Although, not to precipitate on your parade or whatever it is you all say these days, the ingredients won't be that easy to get. The first one is a vial of Nemardia Juice." Andrey raised an eyebrow, questioningly. "Nemardia Juice? Never heard of that before." "Alas, it is quite rare. To get Nemardia Juice, you must obtain it from the Nemardia Spring, which is located deep in the depths of the desert. I believe there is a type of slave camp built over it now." "Perfect," Omega remarked sarcastically. "What's the other ingredient?" asked Brandon, fearing the answer. "A scale from the King Black Dragon." He was met with stunned silence. (It was so quiet you could hear a pointy hat drop.)

Having all the details, they tried to decide on a plan of action. "Okay, so we need a vial of Nemardia Juice and a KBD scale," Jaron recapped. "Excuse me, but may I ask you something?" said Toxic. "Go for it. I welcome all questions, comments, and suggestions," Jaron replied. "What about the jumping guy that poisoned Twisas in the first place? Shouldn't we be tracking him down?" "I was thinking about that, too," Bulldog said. Jaron pondered that, trying to decide on how exactly to word his answer. "Well, yes and no. While it's always in the back of my mind that he's still lurking around out there, we currently have no idea of who he is or even where he'd be. In the meantime, we also don't know if Twisas' condition is life-threatening. That said, I'm trying to get the antidote as quickly as possible, putting all other things aside. Once we know she's okay, we'll shift our attention back to him." "Well then," Bebitwinnie spoke up, "if we're in a race of sorts for the antidote, we should split up." Jaron smiled. "That's a good idea! With a group this large, there's no problem in it anyway. So, half of us will fetch the vial of Nemardia Juice, and the other half will go up against the King Black Dragon."

It didn't take all that long to decide. Jaron, Ultima Cow, Andrey, Tai, 911, Toxic, EaglesFan, Blackhairtp, Coran, and Deathstorm were heading to the desert for the Nemardia Juice. On the flip side, Omegaman, Bebitwinnie, Brandon, Bulldog, Magicana, Cowseatalot, Bustergod, Bnjy, Petrenks, and Low Scorer were heading out to the Wilderness. Jaron's group used Ultima Cow's Amulet of Glory to teleport to Al Kharid, as Omega's group did likewise with Bebitwinnie's Amulet of Glory, to Edgeville. It was shaping up to be a big day.