((Originally posted by The One))

Finally, after endless years of planning he could relax. While he wouldn?t consider it stressful- always watching his back, yet his inner-being had grown thin with the endless thought of being discovered. Of course, he had nothing to fear. Fear itself only resides in the knowledge of being in the wrong. He was doing nothing wrong. If he had the power to, then why should he refrain from using it?

Perched near the top of St. Elmo?s Fire, on his favorite outcropping ? the one that gives him the best view of the island, he thought to himself with a smile, after two years? the time is drawing near. Soon they will know who the master is, and who the servants are. Two years ago, as he recalled, he was transported here to start his initial phase upon this realm. Although his plan had progressed slowly, very slowly at one point or another, he was quite content with its progression as of late. Now, with the decrease to four Keepers the Isle was as vulnerable as ever. No, he thought, not vulnerable... perhaps ?eager to step forth into the greater realms?. With my help, of course. The Isle possessed the potential, like so many he had seen before it. Potential that had seldom been released. In fact, he had only seen it been accessed once by a man the inhabitants called ?Klytus?. There were also five other individuals who could tap into this raw power? the Keepers. They were what he feared the most. If they ever discovered the power the Isle possesses? his plan would not succeed.

But, he didn?t have to worry about that. Their seldom appearance on the Isle gave him much to think about. If the Keepers have lost their faith in what they protect, he thought to himself, then perhaps their error will work to my advantage. By this time his eyes had wandered to where the trees part and gave way to St. Elmo?s Fire. That?s odd... a wolf, this high up? Clearly this is an omen, he thought, whether good or bad I do not know. Too early for any rash assumptions. As he watched the wolf closely a reoccurring thought plagued his mind ? a scout. So, there is someone who still occupies the Isle and cares for it.

But, just as he was about to lay waste to the vile creature it started to change shape. As he learned forward, straining his eyes to make out the man, an explosion of heat sent the curious man downwards. The defenses had taken into effect: the receding walkway? the explosion of heat? the rising lava... all of these had aided in keeping him concealed in secrecy. Grinning to himself he stood up dusting off his robes. ?What a fool,? he spoke is his raspy voice, ?a big fool. If all men are as he is,? he added, ?then I shall have no problems? No problems at all.?

He emitted a low laugh as he slowly headed towards his place of residence. It had given him the greatest possible defense against his pesky neighbors. The heat, he didn?t mind. The lava wasn?t bad as long as one stayed upon the rocks. ?No problems,? he repeated as he continued along the rocky path to his home? his and no one else?s? his Tower of Fire.
_________________
"For mine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen"

(( Originally posted by The One ))

So, another one has decided to run instead of fighting, he thought to himself as he paced around his tower, thinking of the now vacant Tower of Earth. It was fine by him, one less opponent to defeat. Then again, one has to put up a worthy amount of resistance to be considered an opponent; otherwise you are nothing but a bystander watching the situation unfold. So, naturally, one less bystander was all the same to him.

?They will give me no challenge,? he spoke aloud to himself, ?by now they have to know that I am here. Surely the scout would have informed those whom sit with power. It has been days and nothing had materialized from his close-encounter with the scout ? whom he had found out was a man named Brigath ? and he thought that nothing would. They fear me, he thought with much joy. Soon, this forsaken place will find its way into the Greater Realms.

It had been a while since his master had taught him about the Greater and Lesser Realms. He could remember the old man, aged beyond his years, setting him down for one of his last lesson. ?The universe,? he said, ?is comprised of dozens of realms. Each realm has its strength and weakness. A true sorcerer has the ability to manipulate the power that is possessed by the realm to suit the individual?s needs. At the peak of the power, that is ? when the potential power equals the actually power that is used; the realm enters the Greater Realms. These ?Great Realms? are the epitome of the magic realms and the masters of these rule all. In this last lesson I present you with your final task? discover a new realm... conquer it? and bring it into the Greater Realms. Doing so will prove you worthy.?

He shook his head as if by shaking it he could somehow relieve the anger building up inside. Young One, Young One, Young One ? he thought to himself ? he never acknowledged me with my true name. ?The One?. He envied my skill. That was his downfall. While his master had proven to be fiercer than he had anticipated, The One managed to overthrow his master and deal him the lethal blow that he had been waiting to do for so long. Killing one?s master was not unheard of in the culture in which he resided. However, bearing the name ?Master? without the appropriate tests was a taboo ? one of the highest consequences, to be exact. Therefore, even with the death of his master, he found himself trapped on this Isle full of infidels. If he were to address himself as Master then he would have the whole community after him ready to take him down.

While The One was superior to all, he could not foresee any situation where he would be able to defeat the onslaught of his peers. Their numbers reached well into the hundreds and while most were weak ? if they ever banded together they would prove to be his final downfall.

?That is why I must gain the rank of Master,? he spoke again. ?Once I do that I can kill them off one by one until ?The One? is deemed the greatest and all the realms will have no choice but to kneel before me.? He laughed in a deep booming fashion.

All is going to plan?
_________________
"For mine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen"

Brigath lowered the wine glass from his lips with a satisfied sigh. "I'll find your cache someday, you mark my words."

Steven refilled his wine and smiled in good-natured mockery, "Of course you will, Brigath. Of course you will."

"You know, I was out looking for it when I discovered the intruder in the Tower of Fire. I wasn't going to admit it, but Topaz guessed at it anyway."

"Intruder?" Steven's brows rose slightly. "I take it then, that you believe my assumption that it was an automatic defense of the Tower was incorrect?"

Brigath looked slightly uncomfortable for a moment, then answered, "Well, I didn't want to say so at the time, since you seemed so confident. But I went and talked to Topaz about it later and she confirmed for me the fact that the roadway should not have been up except in the presence of the Keeper."

Steven nodded slowly, considering, as Brigath continued. "When I combine that with the fact that I sensed someone else up there, I have to say that I'm a little concerned. As I read it, there's someone hanging around with at least some of the powers of the Keeper of Fire, even though he does not hold the key."

"I would be fooling myself if I said I have not felt 'something' as well." Steven's word's caught Brigath by surprise. "I spend my days roaming the Isle... St. Elmo's Fire... It's too active to be vacant."

Brigath lowered his glass to the table. "So maybe I'm not being paranoid after all."

"Perhaps I should look into this a bit more than I have in the past." Steven's glass also found it's way to the table.

Brigath looked relieved as he said, "It would make me feel a lot better if you would. I've been trying to get in touch with the keeper and have had frighteningly poor success." He frowned as a thought entered his mind. "In fact, it makes me wonder a bit at the timing of this all." He began to tick items off on his fingers. "First, the Tower of Fire goes vacant, then as I am trying to reach the keepers I find Max and lo and behold he's just retired, leaving the Tower of Earth vacant as well..."

Steven interrupted him. "Do you think he might have known? About the 'visitor', I mean... Assuming there is one."

"Max?" Brigath shook his head. "No I don't think so. He seemed genuinely concerned, but having abdicated his post, could do nothing to help out. But I wonder if our 'visitor' had some inkling that it would happen."

Brig ticked off the last three fingers on his hand. "Cory, Psly, Wulfson... all nowhere to be found. It seems like the 'visitor' couldn't have asked for better conditions if he was planning something underhanded." He sighed "Which of course is all assumption. I could very well be making a mountain out of a molehill. But something tells me that I'm not. I just hope that when the two new Keepers are appointed tonight, they will listen to me."

Steven wore a serious look on his face. "In a place like the Isle, seldom is there a molehill. The Isle has power. Power that can call out to individuals."

Brigath too looked serious. "That's what I'm afraid of..."

(( Originally posted by The One ))
So, the Isle had found a replacement? his replacement. While there was a part of him that wanted to overthrow this unfortunate adept and resume his residence in the tower, he wasn?t completely convinced that provoking the inhabitants of this island would be ?profitable?, as his past master would have said.

He paced back and forth, thinking to himself. How could the island raise that ?Tellius? above me? The inhabitants of this island are weak. Their magic is weak, their strength of mind is weak, and ?most of all ? their honor is weak. The past evening had proven this. Although he was only a couple of feet away from the contestants none of them were even somewhat aware of his presence. He learned quite a bit from the contestants who frequently spoke aloud without thinking. When you speak without thinking you open yourself up to individuals? individuals like me, he thought to himself letting a light chuckle escape his cracked lips.

The two finalists, Harris and Tellius by the sounds of it, were not as powerful as he would have liked. Granted, them being more powerful wouldn?t have guaranteed his victory but at least it would have given him some challenge.

He thought to himself for a couple of minutes, fully immersed in the silence of his tower. Finally he let out a yell as if his old master would respond to him, ?Why must I be here with these neophytes?!?? He growled to himself again as he continued to pace back and forth.

He paced back and forth for hours ? pondering, concocting, and revising. He was so focused on his own thinking that he barely noticed a change in the tower. While he remained unaware of the presence hiding outside near the tower, the tower itself was changing. With each passing moment the heat that he felt increased. As the heat rose he forced the air around him to cool. After hours and hours of this, his mental focus started to slip.

Just as he ran to the open window, gasping for cold air he noticed a shadowy figure heading down the path. He didn?t need to see the man leaving, he knew who it was? the newly appointed Keeper, Tellius.

So, he thought to himself, he wants to play rough? I will show you what it means to be rough?

((This post post jointly written between Topaz-mun and Brig-mun))


Brigath cracked an eye open and peered up at the fairy who was prodding him in the ribs with her toes.

"I thought we were supposed to be out looking for this intruder, not napping under an oak tree," she said, her arms crossed over her chest. Her face held a look of deep irritation, but Brig could see the amusement in the corner of her lips where she couldn't quite hold back a smile.

He closed his eye again. "For your information, I am contemplating the most efficient plan for executing our search. I just happen to think best when lying down with my eyes closed. If you hear rumbling sounds that seem to emanate from my nasal region, that just means I am thinking very deeply." An exaggerated sigh fled from his lips. "But now that you have disturbed my planning, we might as well get under way." He grunted as he opened his eyes and climbed to his feet. "I figure we might as well start looking up by the Tower of Fire and see if we can pick up any sort of trail."

Topaz let her irritated look melt away and laughed. "For as deeply as you appeared to be 'thinking', I would expect a much more elaborate plan than that. But it'll do. Lead on, oh big bad Wolf! Red Ridinghood and I will be right behind you."

Brigath chuckled as between one blink and the next, she disappeared. Knowing she was still around somewhere, he spoke to the air and started jogging towards into the forest, "'It is a wise man who evaluates all plans and chooses the simplest'. I read that in a cookie somewhere, I think." He heard a disembodied giggle as he shimmered into wolf form and set off at a run.

===================================

Topaz stood still and watched the wolf run off. She needed a few moments to adjust to her additional senses being active. To her Twilight Isle appeared very different from just about everywhere else. Magic here permeated everything in much higher concentration and the constant twilight skewed her perception of time passing.

When she was ready she headed in the general direction of the Tower of Fire, weaving her path between branches of trees. She was about to leave the tree cover near her destination when something caught her interest. Magic energies were bent to someone's will; and rather a lot of it to judge by how irritating the static was over the distance. It did not have the flavor of attack. she gave into her curiosity and changed course.

Someone was making quite an effort to conceal something. As she got closer she took more care not to give her presence away. The shieldwork she happened upon was good, very good even. Topaz sat on a branch and studied the barrier. The weave was tight and convoluted. But it didn't keep undirected magic out. So Topaz simply let her magic do as it would. In the process of gathering the information she desired, she also got to know that part of Twilight Isle far more intimately than she had ever wanted to.

(( Originally posted by The One ))
He walked through the forest, pleased with the events he had recently witnessed. So the Tower of Earth has refused entry to Harris, he thought to himself. Now I can pack up that miserable little camp and move into some accommodations more fitting to one of my power. He had been a little disappointed that his "welcome gift" to Tellius, the scorched corpse of the murdered goblin, had not caused more of a stir. But that just reinforces that I have chosen the proper time to set my plans in motion. Shows again how the mages on this isle are weak and complacent. He hurried on through the trees, his thoughts wrapped up in planning ways he could use the Tower of Earth once he had taken up residence.

As he neared the edge of the wood, he automatically extended his senses to survey his shields and make sure they hadn't been disturbed in his absence. A malicious sneer spread across his face when he detected a presence. Damn you, Brigath!, he thought angrily. If I had just blasted you up on the mountain when I first had the chance, I'd still be comfortably residing in the Tower of Fire. Well I won't make the same mistake twice.

He quickly changed his course to allow him to come upon Brigath from behind, masking his approach with a simple spell. We he got close, he could see Brigath standing motionless looking out over the campsite. His anger and hatred welled up in him. Spying on me again, are you? You'd better take a good look because it's the last site you are going to see. He clasped his hands with fingers interlaced in front of his chin, then raised his index fingers to point skyward. A wicked grin spread across his face as he brought his fingertips together and whispered "Boom..."

(( Originally posted by The One ))
Oh, how satisfying! His eyes lit with satisfaction as Brigath's body was flung through the air by the explosion. He strode out from the trees to stand over the form lying face down on the ground. A faint groan escaped from Brigath's lips and the man standing over him laughed.

"So you are not quite dead yet. I must be losing my touch. Fortunately for me, you make the perfect practice dummy." He raised his hand and quickly closed it into a fist, intending to crush Brigath's skull with the force of his magic.
_________________
"For mine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen"

((Originally posted by The One))
He grunted in surprise as his spell rebounded. Quickly he shifted his senses and he was just barely able to detect the shield wrapped closely about Brigath's body. Where had that come from? Brigath was nearly unconscious and could not possibly have spun a protection that strong so quickly. His head snapped back towards the trees as he scanned the wood with his eyes and his magic. Nothing. His lips parted in a growl of frustration as he slammed a shield of his own down over himself and began to retreat down the mountain expecting an attack at any moment. Blast and damnation! I should have anticipated an accomplice. Well, I will not be caught unawares again. He maintained his shield and his ranting all the way back to the Tower of Earth.

Brigath flopped down on his bed in the Tower of Air with a sigh. The last few weeks had been exhausting. His memory of the end of his search on the mountain with Topaz was just vague mass of blurry images, loud noises and pain. He had woken up in a strange bed, in a strange room full of strange aches. Several visits to the healers had repaired most of his damaged body, but had left him drained of energy just in time for his challenge to Psly for the key to the Tower of Air. When the stress of the challenge was added to his increasing duties on the isle, it meant that when he hit his bed at night, he was asleep almost immediately.

Tonight was the first time in a while that he had enough energy to take a moment and relax before crashing. Unfortunately, relaxing was impossible to do. His thoughts immediately turned to his conversation with Harris a few days ago. The Keeper of Earth had regained the use of his powers, thank the Gods. That was the good news. The bad news was that someone had moved into Harris? tower. Brigath had no doubts about who it was. He had offered his assistance to Harris, but Harris had seemed supremely confident that he would have no trouble evicting the squatter.

Brigath sincerely hoped he was right.

The sorcerer tournament was over. Jem Trehaven had a few questions and Topaz was just the one to supply the answers. There was another tournament participant that Topaz could not recall seeing on the Isle before who appeared to listen closely to their conversation. He was wearing a hooded cloak, the hood drawn forward so that even as he stepped up close his face remained hidden in shadows.
Once Jem had taken his leave, the fairy turned to the cloaked man, introduced herself and invited his comments about the tournament.

?I am well acquainted with you already. And, yes. It was rather? interesting. Educational, to say the least.?

The man?s lips were smiling and his voice was the comfortable kind of friendly. His reply though surprised Topaz. A quick reference of people she had known that might seek a quiet return to the duels came up with nothing that matched this man?s voice. But she knew that did not have to mean anything. If Krollon were to ever return, he certainly would do so in a body she?d not be able to recognize. But she was fairly certain this was not the time. ?You are? Where have we met??

?Some say we would, others wouldn't.? He replied and drew his cloak and hood closer around him as Topaz tried to pierce the shadows.

?You have aroused my curiosity. I wonder, if I pressed you for your name, would you give the one I would recognize or another.?

?If you had a glimpse of the standings, you would know my name.? The tone in his voice implied disappointment at her lack of foresight. Though Topaz did not know how exactly he expected her to associate a name in the standings with a face. ?I am Manamar.? He extended his hand, covered by the long sleeve of his coat.
?Manamar.? Topaz repeated the name and took the offered hand for a brief shake. She felt a repugnance at the touch which she stifled and managed to keep from her mien and voice. ?Which standings would I be looking at??

?Magic, of course.?

?I must confess the name you gave me does not trigger my memory besides having mistakenly assumed you an apprentice.?

?People usually assume I am weak. Tell me, do I appear weak to you?? His smile never wavered.

?I cannot upon such short acquaintance detect any weaknesses.?

?Very... diplomatic.?

?Will the isle have the pleasure of your presence again??

?Some may put it as delicate as that? Now his smile slipped, but only for a moment. He took a step forward. ?So, what are you here upon the Isle??

?I hold the rank of mage, currently.? Her instinct told her not to part with too much information.

?Just a Mage? Nothing else? Server of refreshments? Hostess? ... Guardian of the Patrons??

?The goblins will serve refreshments. And I'd make a poor guardian. Though I do officiate duels on occasion. You make the rank of mage sound such a minor accomplishment.?

?There is much more to life then mere titles, my little faery.? He brought his right hand up to his chin. ?I am curious. Are there any others of your kind??

?There used to be. I've not seen any in years. What sparked your interest??

?I find faeries.... fascinating creatures... err, I mean people.? He cleared his throat. ?Sorry about that. You are quite stunning, you are. In fact, I have yet to be in the presence of someone as magnificent as yourself.?

?Eh. I'm just a fairy.? His compliments made her feel uncomfortable. ?Magnificent would be more fitting for Klytus or Wulfson or Etherean.?

?Etherean? The man who won here tonight? Nonsense.? He gave a short chuckle. ?And this Klytus fellow you talk of... of course not. I doubt stars shine in their eyes as yours do.?

?This Klytus fellow is the creator of Twilight Isle.? This time she could not quite keep her annoyance with his words from her voice. But she again went with her instinct and didn?t correct the man?s misconceptions.

?The Isle doesn't live through who created it... it lives through who watches over it.? He moved yet closer.

To not make it too obvious a retreat Topaz sat down on a log and charmed a goblin into fetching coffee. The man followed and sat down beside her. ?I can't shake the feeling I should know you, or at least of you. Quite a few people wind up missing and then show up more or less changed at the most unexpected moments.?

He leaned in closer and put his hands on her shoulders, his shadowy mouth was only inches from her ear: ?You should not have gotten involved. It is not wise to get involved. A lot of enemies are created when you involve yourself in other people's 'discrepancies' ?

?Is that so.? Topaz hid her alarm under a light chuckle. ?You know little of fairies, don?t you??

?You see your species in too high a fashion, little one.? He replied with a soft growl.

?Not at all. But to fairies to not get involved is a foreign concept for the most part.? Topaz paused briefly. ?So, what discrepancies are you talking about??

?You know of what I speak of.? He stared at her. His pupils slowly turned flaming red as he spoke. ?You know.? He pulled a knife from his cloak, slowly twirling it in his distant hand. ?Relax. I know about you too much to try anything with a knife.?

?Is that so.? Topaz forced a bemused smile to her lips. ?Then why pull it out at all??

?To show you something about me.? He grasped the knife firmly. ?You know the thing about not being alive?? His pupils turned an icy blue, as cold as the arctic and as barren as the Great Plains. But the fairy still could not see his face clearly.

?Not personally, but I met a few that were in that state of being, even made friends with some. Are you saying you're someone not quite alive??

?When you?re not alive.... You can't die.? He extended his other hand as he spoke and ran the knife along his arm, creating a deep gash. Nothing escaped the wound. ?You would be wise to remember that.? He lifted his eyes and Topaz could see their color once again transformed to a fiery red. ?Oh, I believe the goblin has more coffee for you.? He pointed to a spot behind the fairy.

Topaz didn?t move any further away. She now was on fairly even ground. Her hand dropped to the hilt of the rapier at her side. The hilt was soothingly cool against her burned palm. Spellbreaker was not yet battle tested, and she wondered what form its magic would take.

?I wouldn't advise that.? The One had not missed her gesture. ?Here, being on an island of magic, and with I - having drained it... don't.? He sounded concerned for her safety. The next moment a fiery shield appeared around him and it burned the ground as he continued to walk toward the fairy. He repeated himself. ?Don't.?

With more bravado then she felt Topaz drew the blade from its sheath. ?Are you afraid? You will not bleed. You showed me so yourself.?

?Then the point of it, little one? What is the point? That is the problem with you weaklings, always trying to solve the inevitable.? He continued forward and summoned a flaming javelin for his goblin companion. ?Do you not listen to reason??

Trusting the magic of the blade to handle any magic attack Topaz concentrated on an attack spell instead of defense. ?Oh, I'm sure I will - eventually, and when it is recognizable as such.?

?You speak, but you hear not what you say, little one.? He stopped his advance. Roughly a hundred feet separated them now. Can you not recognize my power? Join me.?

?No.? Topaz watched her wizard blades melt as they passed through his fiery shield, but their velocity carried the shards far enough to where they fused onto the man?s chest. He cringed, but that appeared to be in reaction to her refusal rather than to her attack.

He motioned to the goblin with a frown. The goblin shrieked and waved the fiery javelin above its head as he walked toward Topaz, obeying its new master?s command.

Topaz charmed the goblin into fetching coffee. It worked; the goblin took off, presumable to find coffee.

?What's the advantage of being 'nice'.? He chuckled and started walking toward her again.

Instead of a reply Topaz called meteors to worry the man?s fiery shield with. But they did not appear to even slow him down.

?I control the Tower of Fire.? He was yelling at her. ?I am not to be bested!? He growled as his shield started to shrink. Topaz watched with utter fascination. Though she had run out of meteors, his shield continued to shrink with every step he took toward her. Yet, he continued to take step after step, even as his robes started to ember and then caught on fire. He took another step. He was smiling even as the flames consumed him. ?Do not make the wrong choice.? He left a trail of smoldering bits in his wake and now was close enough for the flames to heat her skin. ?Don't be weak.? He now was no more than a flaming skeleton.

?I have given you your choices. Do not make the wrong one.? He stopped and the flames in the eyeholes of the skull appeared to stare at her. ?And to answer your question...? He paused for a moment. ?Yes, you shall have the pleasure of seeing me again.? Then he gave a loud sigh as the flames consumed what was left of him.

The only thing left behind were three melted gooey puddles of metal. So this was a rather impressive exit rather than Spellbreaker at work, Topaz thought, and the demonstration of the none-bleeding cut was likely another illusion enhanced lie.

((Originally posted by Vinny))

Vinny sat up on the top of the celestial citadel, trying to make himself comfortable even though it was well after midnight, getting a little chilly, and that wind didn't help either. He wished he had remembered to bring up a jacket, but in retrospect, he would've taken it off at this point anyways. The fewer distractions he had at this point, the better. This was going to be a long night, taxing his body and his mind.

Once he found a position he could he could stand, he closed his eyes and let his awareness slowly expand. It started at the section of the roof he was sitting on, slowly moving out to encompass the rest of the roof, and then down the tower walls to its base. Finally, it went down into the ground and the tower's foundations, so he could feel every molecule that comprised the tower.

It took him a while to attune his awareness to the tower's, taking him a few hours which he didn't want to waste, but found it necessary if he was going to get any results. When he was finally ready, he expanded his awareness, using his bond with the tower as an amplifier so that he could cover the whole of the isle. If anyone else was watching, it would have looked a lot like a supernatural radar beacon, probing the entirety of the isle.

During his tenure as archmage, he had taken the time to learn as much as he could about the isle and it's energies. Now he was trying to find the same energies, and any that were different, no matter how tiny the anomaly may be. He found several large anomalies, mostly in the towers of fire and earth, but what really disturbed him was at how many minor anomalies he found. It was if this intruder was slowly taking over the isle a bit at a time. It could even be that he planned to use the isle the way he had used the tower tonight, to amplify his power so that he could take on other venues.

By the time he had processed all of this, and come out of his trance, morning's light was already up over the horizon. he stood up and stretched his muscles, wanting to get out of here quickly. With as much energy as he was putting out, it would have seemed like the 4th of July to anyone who could perceive his magics. Now it was time to figure out what to do with this knowledge.

The dark hooded figure stood motionless on the open ground directly beneath the Citadel of Stars. He could feel the flow of power, the essence of the Isle, making it's way up to the fortress high above him. Slowly, delicately, he redirected a tiny rivulet of the energy to flow through his own essence before returning it to the main flux where it quickly mingled and was masked.

Far away Topaz and Vincent turned their eyes from the fire work display and looked at each other. ?The citadel.? They said simultaneously. Topaz reached for Vincent?s arm and they into a patch of near the Citadel?s current location. They hoped to discover what exactly had alerted them a moment ago. Topaz elbowed Vinny gently in the ribs and pointed off towards the base of the tower. There, hidden partially in the shadows, was a person cloaked in black. Topaz looked at Vinny and mouthed. ?It?s him. Any ideas??

Vincent shrugged. He didn?t ? yet - but desperately tried to think of something, anything that didn?t involve him just standing there. An idea sprung into his head and he turned to Topaz again. The look of concentration on her face was unmistakable, so he merely whispered. ?Stay here. I?ll handle him.?

Vinny took a few steps away from Topaz and began to work a quick spell, something subtle that wouldn?t be detected until it was already in effect, he hoped. But in order for that to work, he?d have to make himself known. He bit his lip, casting the spell anyway, and expanded his aura far enough to let the mystery man know that someone was there.

The One?s fingers twitched involuntarily as he let his awareness travel along the tainted stream, climbing slowly towards the citadel. He just needed to find a place to terminate the flow. Once that was done his diversion should be completely undetectable, but he could return to tap into it at any time and spy on the Archmage. His fingers twitched again, but this time it was because he felt a pulse of magic that was NOT from the isle rush through his body.

With a snarl, his consciousness raced back to his body and he turned to confront whoever it was that was interrupting him.

The man in black paused for a moment before standing up and looking over at the bushes. ?You can come out now. I know you?re in there. You might as well make it easier for me before I just incinerate those bushes and find out the hard way.?

Vinny stepped up, taking a deep breath and trying to look as confident as possible as he walked forward. ?I hope you live up to your reputation. I?ve been looking forward to running into you for a while now. You are The One, if I presume correctly??

The One nodded in agreement. ?I am he. And I assure you, I?m more capable than any story you may have heard. But I wonder how capable you are, especially with you losing your title, then failing to win the challenge against Harris. If even he can beat you, then I?m sure that I have nothing to fear from a washed up Archmage such as yourself.?

The One wasted no time for Vinny to come up with a witty retort before firing off a force blast which caught him off guard. He had barely enough time to put up a defense, which saved him from getting fried, but still sent him flying back several feet. Taking advantage of this, The One pressed his attack, not relenting for an instant.

Vinny managed to get to a knee, focusing solely on keeping his shield intact. Both of them redoubled their efforts, their magics lighting up the entirety of the isle. The stress was getting to Vinny, as sweat was beginning coming off his brow. He hoped that The One was feeling a fraction of what he was, otherwise his plan would be a wash and he?d really be in trouble.

Meanwhile, while Vinny was occupying The One, Topaz focused on the tower, looking to undo whatever The One had done. As she turned her attention to the energies of the tower she noticed that The One had indeed been trying to infuse his essence into it and corrupt it as he had done with the Tower of Earth. Luckily, they had managed to get there before the damage became permanent. If she could sever his link to the tower, then she could reverse the damage and keep him from getting another foothold on the isle. She closed her eyes, letting her mind open up and attune to the natural flow and ebb of the tower, searching for the way to free it.

Around this time, Vinny did something that one normally wouldn?t expect a person to do while he was trying not to get killed. He smiled. Not a nice smile, but the type of smile that one makes when he pulls something off without getting caught. ?So, having a good time? When you?re ready to stop these simple games and get to the real fight, just let me know.?

The One cut off his assault, getting the feeling that something was amiss. People who are about to die don?t normally make jests unless they have some hidden trick up their sleeve. He took a breath, wiping some sweat off his face. His body shouldn?t be doing this. He had plenty of skill to work his powers with little stress on his body, but it seemed like his body was going to pieces on him. His heart was racing, sweat was beginning to bead up on him, and his whole body felt like it was on fire, especially in his chest. ?Just what did you do??

Folding his arms in front of him, Vinny let off a good laugh. ?Right before I stepped out, I altered the coefficient of friction in your arterial walls. It?s not even noticeable right away. Your heart needs to beat faster to keep up with the added resistance, but the harder it beats, the more friction it creates. Eventually, your heart is beating so fast that either it gives out, or your blood boils. Personally, I don?t care which, so long as it keeps you out of my hair and off the isle.?

The One scowled, furious that he could have been beaten by such trickery. It would be best if he took a strategic retreat to heal up, and insure that he would not be beaten in such a manner again. At least he had his link to the tower. If all he had was that, then the day was not a total loss. He backed up, getting ready to make his way out of there when a bolt of searing pain pierced through his skull. His link had suddenly, and very, very painfully, been severed. There was too much going on at once. He fled at once before anything else could go wrong, the need for revenge burning deep inside of him. One day soon, he?d make sure that this Vincent Smith would pay for this.

After he watched The One leave, he looked back at Topaz hidden in the bushes. ?You can come out now. I get the feeling he?s not going to bother us for a while, but when he does, I?d better be ready. That spell won?t work on him a second time. By the way, nice trick with whatever you did to him.? He sat down, feeling a bit spent, but quite happy that his trick worked.

Topaz sat down next to him with a grin. ?That was just a bit of unavoidable back lash of his own workings being undone. I?m sure we haven?t seen the last of him.?