A Taste of Death

                                  by Jonathon Pierce

Introduction

The night was dark and dreary.

Lenore looked sadly out of the window. The world was such a rotten place. She slowly opened the window and stepped silently out onto the ledge.

"Jump!  Jump! "The people shouted below...and she did...

That was the night I bought the bust (of Pallas). I remember it like it was only yesterday. As I sat in my chair, I heard a knock.

"It's only the wind and nothing more," I reassured myself...

Kirk Jameson looked furiously at the typewriter. He yanked the paper out of the typewriter. The paper promptly ripped in pieces. In a fit of rage, he pointed his finger at the typewriter. The Ring on his finger began to radiate with energy. With a puff of smoke, the typewriter disappeared into oblivion. The Ring of Ranet augmented the powers of Kirk.

He tried to think of a way to dispose of Jonathon Pierce, his rival in the Literary World. Suddenly, an idea came to him...

Introduction Part II

Jonathon Pierce sat at his desk in his small cottage in the Devon Woods. He placed his golden, magical pen on the paper, and wrote:

A Taste of Death

Iffley, the most powerful wizard on Bandoc, gazed deeply in the Mirror of Sight.

Suddenly, two forms began to form into the room. The forms formed into the forms of a man and a large, golden mirror. Jonathon continued:

He touched the small Sceptre laying on the wooden stand in front of the Mirror. The Sceptre, which was beautifully inlaid with precious stones, emitted a high pitched tone, activating the Mirror.

More forms began to form: a wooden stand, a beautiful Sceptre, and the form of Kirk Jameson. With the wave of his hand, Jonathon Pierce disappeared, leaving the Pen of Anchors behind.

Search

After Kirk had left, Iffley began to meditate. He once again touched the Sceptre. It produced a low, almost inaudible sound. He then said, "Save!". The Mirror began to change its appearance. It reflected the location where his master was being held. Jonathon Pierce was at the mercy of the Swolsh, a creature too frightening to describe. Iffley raised the Sceptre and said, "Quische!"

Another form began to form. The forming process formed a Quische, a creature whose body was made of durable jelly. It was squat and round and seemed to slosh as it rolled around the room. Two small, jelly-wings sprouted from its back and a seat appeared on its posterior end. Iffley sat on the Quische and then touched the Mirror with the Sceptre...

Rescue

Jonathon Pierce lay trapped in the Wastelands of Enad. A Swolsk was about to enjoy a juicy appetizer. The Swolsk stopped and sniffed the air. Directly in front of the Swolsk, the Quische appeared. The Quische, quickly changing into the form of a taxi, charged the Swolsk. Before the hideous creature could react, the Quische impacted. A cloud of vapor engulfed the unconcious beast as Enad the Great retrieved his defeated champion.

The Quische then sprouted a small side car for Jonathon to ride in. With a wave of the Sceptre, the Mirror returned them into the study.

Preparations

The Sceptre of Ozino began to glow softly. "Lamph," Iffley said, "Zigmon, and Campuria of Aldery, we need your help!"

More forms formed into a formation of a triangle. The Lamph was a large, blue creature of incredible strength. The Zigmon was a creature made entirely of acid. Campuria, who formed the appex of the triangle, was the leader of the people of Aldery. She was the owner of the Book of Incantations.

The Quische, who had extended to hold all of the new Members, now looked somewhat like a bus.

"Seek!" Iffley said, as he touched the Mirror again...

Revenge

Unfortunately, Kirk Jameson had been expecting guests: he thoughtlessly prepared a reception with the help of the Pen. He concocted two demons from Ecrof, Irev and Schlegmore. One demon controlled light; the other, temperature.

The moment the Quische appeared, both demons began to laugh. Irev began to glow brighter and brighter. Fearing that the bright light might destroy their sight, Campuria recited Ztorf: A darkness spell. The demon was now only bathed in a light strong enough to read by. Schlegmore laughed at his parter and snapped his fingers. The temperature of the room promptly dropped to -70 degrees. The Zigmon, who was especially succeptable to cold, froze solid. The Lamph charged the demon, but with a snap of his fingers, the Lamph impacted with a white-hot demon (It now knows what a french fry feels like).The demon laughed uproariously. The Quische quickly encircled the demon and turned into a thermos. Iffley pointed the Sceptre at Kirk Jameson and said, "Shrink!" An energy beam, projected from the Sceptre, struck Kirk in the head. He slowly dissolved into nothingness, leaving the Ring and Pen behind.

"The second Key to the Power is mine!" Jonathon said as he picked up the articles. "The Sceptre has led me to the second Key, the Ring. Only three more Keys left..."

During this battle, the Mirror was not idle, for it had located the third Key, the Belt of Excho. The Mirror changed the view from the scene of the battle to show a dark turret in Enad's Castle....