Nadat we gisteravond een gezellige avond bij de film hadden gehad (X-men Origins: Wolverine, best gaaf) liepen we naar buiten waar we werden aangevallen door een lvl 29 crazy guy.

De crazy guy hield het bij een standaard aanval, slam, welke gelukkig niet al teveel schade deed aan Chiel, Jaap en Loes.

Toen hij echter een tackle probeerde, blokkeerde Chiel hem met een body slam, waarna de crazy guy stunned op de straat werd vastgehouden.

Uiteindelijk hebben we hem laten vangen door de politie, de crazy guy had waarschijnlijk toch te lage IVs om interessant genoeg te zijn. Na enkele hyper potions waren we weer fit genoeg om naar huis te gaan.

http://www.politie.nl/brabant-zuid-oost/nieuws/persberichten/200904281ec...

Inside the Hedge

They travelled the maze for several hours, receiving multitudes of painful lacerations along the way. The map helped greatly, warning them ahead of time about shifts in the Hedge. Twice it alarmed them of a group of creatures heading their way, giving them ample time to react and head in another direction. They continued for hours.

“How long do we have to continue like this?” Oomp asked angrily. “There should be some exit to this place. What is it you’re looking for?”

“I don’t know Oomp; some sort of passage I guess.” Crysto replied. “I’ll check the map again.”

Crysto pulled the map from his pocket, unfolding it. As he searched the map for some sort of exit, his heart dropped. He could clearly make out small drops of water forming on the edges of the map, dripping slowly to the ground. The map was melting.

“Oomp,” Crysto said, “let’s hurry.”

They hurried along between hedges of yew, great thorn bushes and through black putrid swamps. The plants lashed out as the two passed, trying to draw them nearer, preventing them from escaping, tearing away at their very soul. Still they pushed on.

They came to another crossing, each path seeming more dangerous than the other.

“I’ll check the map again.” Crysto said.

He reached into his pocket to grab the map, but instead his hand reached into a small puddle of water. As he pulled out his hand, the water instantly froze, breaking off into tiny pieces.

“Damn it!” Crysto shouted. He sank down. “Damn it all…”

Oomp put one of his big, white furred hands on Crysto’s shoulder. “Don’t worry, I’m sure we’ll find a way out of here soon.”

They sat there for a few minutes, contemplating their next move, when suddenly a sound came from the right path of the crossing. A sound that send chills through their bones. The horns of the Wild Hunt sounded in the distance.

“We must leave, now!” growled Oomp.

Crysto got to his feet, and they ran along the left path. They ran as fast as they could, the sounds of the Wild Hunt closing in on them. The path snaked through great thorn bushes, ripping at them, slowing them down. As Crysto looked back, he saw the big, black hounds of the Gentry on their trail, then seeing them disappear again into the shadows from which they had originated.

They ran, and suddenly the thorn bushes made way for a rock, turning into a small cave. On they ran, and suddenly, five black figures the size of the black mastiffs appeared before them as they exited the cave. Crysto lashed out, flash freezing three of the beasts instantly. Oomp charged, easily ripping the head off of two of them. Around them, creatures whined in fear, and Crysto and Oomp could hear the splashing of water.

The moon came out from behind a cloud. Around them, they could see the black, sleek figures of a couple of animals disappear under the water. Oomp was holding two seal heads, blood covering his surroundings. The limp, headless bodies lay beside him. He looked dazed at Crysto, who stood between three flash-frozen seals. Around them, they could see a landscape sculpted to resemble the North pole. In front of them lay a large pool of water, ending at a big wall separating them from the rest of Ijsselmeer’s zoo.

“We should get out of here…” Crysto said.

“Yeah… Let’s” Oomp agreed.

Oomp picked up Crysto, easily jumping up on the wall. They could see flashlights heading their way. They ran, leaving the zoo and entering the city of Ijsselmeer.

Ijsselmeer

Oomp and Crysto walked through the quiet streets of Ijsselmeer. The sun had set long ago, but the heat of summer still remained. Oomp was sweating like crazy, and Crysto walked slowly, his hair dripping as it melted a little.

“This heat is abnormal.” Oomp said, “What is wrong with this world?”

“It doesn’t abide by the rules of Arcadia Oomp. Or rather, Arcadia doesn’t abide by the rules of normal reality. In this world, seasons come and go, bringing cold, rain, heat and all sorts of weather patterns. But I have to agree with you, the heat here is abnormal.”

They continued through the streets of Ijsselmeer, the few people that were outside making a quick detour as the two came near.

Now that Crysto thought of it, they did indeed made an odd pair. Their clothes ripped by the thorns of the hedge, they themselves covered in their own blood and that of the seals. Crysto looked at some of the street signs, looking for a place to refresh themselves. One of them pointed towards the park.

“Oomp, let’s head for the park. There’s bound to be a lake or something there, we’ll be able to clean ourselves a bit, and maybe find a place to cool down while we think about what we do next.” Crysto suggested.

“Anything to take the heat off of me.” Oomp growled.

They headed for the park, the heat of the night wearing them down.

The park was dark, the light of the moon being filtered by the many trees it had. Oomp and Crysto scurried through the darkness, trying to stay away from the main roads. They were certain to draw attention the way they looked, and Crysto was trying desperately to avoid drawing attention.

In the middle of the park, Oomp and Crysto came to a massive lake. Lanterns lit the pathway around it, reflecting in the lake, creating a beautiful spectacle of light. The fountain in the middle tossed up water at least 10 meters high, where it cascaded down again.

Crysto kneeled down at the water’s edge, his hands forming a bowl as he splashed some of the water in his face. Crysto felt refreshed, even though the water was too hot for his liking.

“Oomp, you should refresh yourself a bit. It’s quite nice.” Crysto said, looking around. His eyes widened as he saw Oomp rushing towards him. Oomp leaped, crouching together to form a tight ball. As he connected with the water, a huge wave flooded the bank, thoroughly drenching Crysto.

“OOMP!” Crysto shouted, laughing hard.

“Don’t be such a stiff Crysto.” Oomp returned, “The water is great. Come join me!”

Oomp turned on his back and leisurely paddled away, spitting some water in the air.

Crysto returned to the bank. His reflection was distorted by the waves created by Oomp’s dive. He waited for the water to calm down.

As the water calmed, Crysto saw himself, dripping wet. His hair stiffened a bit again.

“At least that takes care of one problem.”, he sighed, touching his hair.

Suddenly, his image distorted again. His image turned into that of a woman. Blue hair flowed together with the waves. Turquoise eyes looked directly at Crysto from a deep green face. She smiled.

Crysto fell back, stunned.

“Oomp!” he shouted, “Get out of the water! There’s a Fey in there!”

Crysto stumbled to his feet, taking on a battle stance. Oomp meanwhile desperately swam for the shore.

A giggle came from the water. The female emerged in a torrent of water, landing right next to Crysto.

“Don’t worry.”, she said in a soothing voice, “There’s no Fey here. Just us Changelings.”

The words didn’t ring true to Crysto, the Fey had come for him and Oomp. His hand morphed into a claw of ice, and he crouched, ready to strike. Then, his body grew numb.

“Didn’t you hear the lady?” came a voice from behind, “There’s no fey around.”

A dark figure dropped from one of the trees behind Crysto. From the shadows stepped a small creature, it’s nails dragging along the ground.

“I thought I told you to stop stalking me, Mole.” the woman said.

“So you did, Undine. But don’t consider it stalking, consider it… carefully observing from a hidden location while making sure the observed object doesn’t notice you.” Mole answered.

Undine sighed.

“Besides, if I hadn’t been here, this guy would’ve attacked you. I saved you. Doesn’t that warrant a reward.” Mole continued.

“I was perfectly fine, thank you very much.” Undine replied, “Besides, he wouldn’t really have attacked me, I can feel it.”

Undine turned towards Crysto putting a hand on his cheek. Crysto winced, waiting for the Fey to take him back to Arcadia.

“As I said, we’re not Fey.” Undine said gently, “We’re changelings, just like you and your big furry friend over there.”

“I think she’s right Crysto. I don’t think she’s lying.” said Oomp, as he pulled himself up from the lake.

“I’ll release you now.” Mole said, “play nice ok?”

Crysto felt the pressure being lifted from his arms and legs. He fell down, unable to catch himself from the sudden jerk the release gave.

“Why don’t we take you to some place safe?” Undine asked, “You look like you could use a good night’s rest, and maybe a change of clothing.

Crysto agreed, and together with Oomp, he followed Mole and Undine to Fierhaeve, the Freehold of Ijsselmeer.

The Freehold of Fierhaeve

Crysto and Oomp were led through a twisted passageway of side-alleys, losing all sense of direction. They continued on, the passageway narrowing as they finally reached their destination. A big wooden door, which looked as if nature itself had sprung up to bar passage, blocked the road. Undine knocked and a small hole in the door slid open. Two big yellow eyes peeked through for a second, before the hole was slid close again.

The door split apart, and an ape of a man appeared, snarling at the newcomers.

“Don’t worry George, they’re with me.” said Undine.

George gave a sidelong glance at Oomp and Crysto, then he stepped aside. They followed Undine and entered into the bowels of Fierhaeve. down.

Crysto was overwhelmed. Everywhere he looked, eyes belonging to Changelings of every Seeming and Kith looked at the two newcomers. Undine continued on and stopped before four great thrones. Atop them sat four Changelings of great power.

“Lords of the Council of Seasons.” Undine started, bowing. “I bring before you today two new Changelings who I found in the park. I’d like to ask you to accept them into Fierhaeve.”

“So why should we accept them into our midst?” asked the Winter King, “What do we actually know about them? ”

“We should be wary of strangers. We live in dangerous times.” said Autumn Queen.

“Let them prove themselves in a feat of strength!” the Summer King shouted.

“Come now friends, we should open ourselves to the newcomers.” the Spring King said. “Let’s have them swear the oath, and help them find a place in this world. ”

“Fine, we shall see what they are made off.” the Summer King agreed.

“If they swear the oath, I’m fine with it.” said the Autumn Queen.

“Fine, but I will keep an eye on them.” said the Winter King.

Crysto and Oomp were taken to swear an Oath to Fierhaeve, to never betray the Freehold and to serve the Freehold to the best of their possibilities. They had found a new home.

The Court of Spring

Crysto stepped out of bed. He had been living together with Oomp in Fierhaeve for a while. After the taking of the oath, they had been welcomed greatly. They received some new clothes, and Crysto managed to get a job as a librarian in the central library of Ijsselmeer. After that, a Changeling had helped him look into his family using something he called “internet”.

As it turned out, while he had been away, the Fetch that had been put in his place had died in car accident. Crysto had felled indifferent about it, the memories of his family grown old.

Crysto dressed, preparing for another day at the library. He stepped out.

“Cry~sto!” came a shout from his left.

A second later, a cute girl with fiery red hair and blazing arms hung on his arm. “Good morning!” she smiled, as she hugged his arm even tighter.

“Why did he have to join to the Court of Spring.” Crysto taught. He had joined it because he had been intrigued by the emotion of love it embodied. No sooner had he decided than he had regretted it. A cheerful girl, going by the name of Fièrna Darklight had taken it upon herself to show Crysto all about the weird new emotion. And so far, she hadn’t left him alone for a day.

“Hello Fièrna. Good morning.” Crysto replied as he pulled his arm away. “Sorry but I have to be going or I’ll be late for work.

He turned to walk away, knowing he should just go. But he also knew what stood behind him. He turned again, looking at Fièrna. Two pouty cute eyes looked at him. He’d been had.

“Fine”, Crysto said, raising his arm.

Fièrna gave a cheer of joy, grabbing Crysto’s arm and pulling him along.

“Oh well,” Crysto taught, “it’s only until I get out of Fierhaeve.”

He walked on, Fièrna still clinging to his arm. A new day was unfolding. A new day of his new life.

Ok dus Sander's D&D 3.5 campaign is nu officieel tot een einde gekomen, maar helemaal tevreden kon ik niet zijn. Vincent had zo'n mooie kans om de macht te grijpen en de samen met mij het continent te regeren, maar juist op dat moment heeft hij gewetens problemen. Bij deze dus, hoe het had moeten gaan.

Ryld sat on the throne of the Sotho, having been disguised by Calina as to look exactly like the human form of the now dead Deep Dragon. "Bring me my generals!" he commanded. The servants in the throne room scurried off, hurrying to please their Lord.

Ryld turned to Calina, who had cast a spell to appear as a female Drow. "Are you with me?" he asked her.

"You know I am, my Lord." she answered.

"Calina has turned out quite nicely." Ryld thought by himself. Ever since he had his servant implant the orb inside her beneath the Tower of Water, she had slowely but surely begun her descent into darkness. And now, she was his to command.

His generals came running into the room, some appearing out of breath as if they had run like mad in order to not be the last to enter.

"I want a full status report!" Ryld demanded.

"But sir, it's a holiday. Why would you want a status report now?" one of the generals asked.

Ryld snapped his fingers, and from behind him a brilliant multi-coloured beam shoot out towards the general. Calina's prismatic ray had hit target. Where the general had stood, now nothing but a statue remained.

"Anyone else have a problem?" Ryld asked, smiling at the gathered drow in front of him. None made a sound. He continued.

"Fine, then get a move on. And one more thing. There are a couple of intruders in the Sanctum Sanctorum. They have killed my pet dragon and I want them eliminated. Their heads are to be displayed on a pike to show what happens to those who choose to disobey me. And be careful, they are to be considered highly dangerous. Now go!"

The generals left the room, some looking stunned as to how a band of rebels had managed to infiltrate the most sacred place of the palace. Moments later, sounds of over a hundred soldiers could be heard moving towards the Sanctum Sanctorum.

"All has gone according to plan." Ryld thought. "And soon, the world will bow before me." He laughed madly.

For he was, had always been, and would always be, Ryld Sotho Tal Ker Fye-Laerel.

Ik daag de rest van de party uit een ander einde te bedenken, maar dit leek me wel grappig.

A cold day in January

It was January the 21st, 1989. The snow slowly drifted down to earth, as it had been for the last couple of days. The schools had been closed because of it, and everywhere children could be seen playing in the snows. Snowmen made up most of the population in the park that day, some larger than three children put together. A child was crying after having received a snowball straight in his face, his friends looking worried. Under a tree, a boy was building a little fort, using the tree as its center.

The boy wore a dark red wool hat, which hid most of his blond hair. His clear blue eyes shone with excitement, as his fort was nearing completion. Even though it was not much more than a low hill of snow, he felt like he could take on the world from there. His hands worked furiously, trying to make the hill higher and higher. He didn’t notice the falling snow increasing in strength. The other children in the park hurried home, as the winds started to pick up. The large snowman toppled over, unable to longer withstand the force of the wind. But still, the boy kept building. He kept building, even though the snow kept falling harder and harder, until you couldn’t see more than 2 meter in front of you.

A tall woman appeared from the snow drift, her long hair dyed blue, seemingly untouched by the harsh, cold winds. She walked towards the little fort.

“Stop!” the boy shouted, “no girls allowed!”

“Don’t worry.” the woman said. Her voice carried an icy tone, and the wind seemed to lull for a moment, as if retreating before the woman’s voice. “I wouldn’t dare to enter the fort of the might warrior…”

“The mighty hero! The might hero John!” the boy said, exalted by the words of the woman. “And this is my great fortress! Made it all by myself!”

“Wow, what a great and mighty hero you must be”. Again, the wind seemed to lull a bit. But the boy didn’t notice. He was too proud of the fort he had built. “But you must be getting cold, even in that mighty fortress of you. Why don’t you come back to my home? I’ve got nice hot coco, and a roaring fire by which you can warm yourself. Plus, a mighty hero like you should be able to help me with a very difficult quest.”

The boy, excited by the woman’s kind words, agreed without second thought. He left his fort, and followed the woman into the blizzard, which seemed to part in front of her. He followed her, ever deeper into the Hedge.

The Frozen Library

Crysto hurried along the freezing floors of the great library. A cold chill blew between the bookcases. He was used to it by now, having been cataloging the Frozen Library for over seventy years now. His hair had, over the course of the many years, frozen solid, turning into thick ice crystals that hung from his head like a frozen waterfall. His eyes were as cold as ice, revealing no apparent emotion. His skin was white as snow, and long blue robes extended almost towards the ground, crackling as if frozen as Crysto hurried along the frozen corridors of the great library.

His mistress, the Snow Lady Ghiandara, Keeper of the Frozen Library, would surely be delighted by the great feat he and his fellow archivists had achieved. Even if she didn’t show it, Crysto was sure She would be delighted. He and some other archivists had discovered an entire new wing of books previously unknown to anyone in the library. Crysto raced through the frozen halls, leaving behind Changelings, looking curiously at him.

“No running!” A deep, booming voice came from one of the many corridors the Frozen Corridor counted.

Crysto came to a skidding halt. He turned around. From the corridor, he saw a big ball of white fur appear. Huge feet left small imprints on the library’s floor. A huge fist, easily capable of crushing rocks, gripped the side of one of the bookcases. A set of razor sharp teeth jutted from its mouth. It was one of the Yeti, Changelings who had been transformed into near primal monsters, set with guarding the library. Why they existed at all, Crysto didn’t know. According to some of the elder archivists, there hadn’t been an attack on the library in centuries.

“Mistress no like running!” said the booming voice again. The Yeti were not known for their compassion. Crysto knew he had made a mistake. Then again, this yeti looked familiar somehow.

“My most humble apologies, master Yeti.” said Crysto, bowing deep. “I was on my way to meet the Mistress, bringing her splendid news. In my excitement, I forgot myself!”

The yeti laughed a deep laugh which broke a few icicles from the ceiling, which shattered on the floor of the library. “Crysto funny!” the yeti said, patting Crysto on the head. Crysto’s hair cracked a little, as the big behemoth pushed the ice crystals down. “No do again!”

As he felt the warmth of the big hand touch his head, he knew he’d been lucky. He knew the yeti standing in front of him. He’d come to the library about 5 years after Crysto, and he and Crysto had grown a bond of friendship.

“As watchful as ever I see, Oomp.” said Crysto, slowly patting the big furry hand as he gently pushed it away from his head. “Now go along, before they see you goofing off.” Crysto walked off.

“Mistress mad, danger!” Oomp growled at Crysto’s back. A cold chill ran down Crysto’s back. He didn’t like to go see the Mistress when She was in a foul mood. Yet, if he didn’t report this now, the result of reporting this discovery so late wouldn’t be pleasant either. He walked on, through the frozen corridors, towards the tower in which his Mistress resided.

Crysto stopped before a huge double door, made entirely of ice. Intricate carvings of great snow beasts could be seen on it, obscuring the view of the room behind. As he neared the door, the carving of a giant snow tiger jumped out of the door. The guardian towered over Crysto, bearing its fangs.

“Greetings Guardian” said Crysto, as he bowed. “I bring important news for the Mistress. I beg for an audience with Her.”

“Mistress Ghiandara, Keeper of the Frozen Library is in a foul mood today, Archivist.” the snow tiger growled. “It would be best for you to return at another time.”

“I’m afraid I have to press on, and still request an audience.” Crysto replied. “The news I bring has top priority.”

“Then I will announce your request to the Mistress, little archivist. We will probably not meet again.”

The now tiger sank back into the door, and moments later, the great double door slowly opened. As soon as they did, a cold blast of air hit Crysto in the face, chilling him to his very soul, even though he was quite used to the freezing cold. A harsh blizzard obscured his view, and it took all of his strength just to stand straight.

Still he knew he had to press on, if he stayed still, he’d die. Straining his body to its limits, he pushed on, into the cold heart of his Mistress’ room. The blizzard obscured nearly all his view, and he had to guess as to the direction he was heading in. Ice crystals pelted his face, causing a multitude of lacerations. However, no blood flowed from them. Crysto’s blood had been frozen solid for decades.

When he reached what he thought to be the center of the room, he heard a cold voice, carried by the air.

“What did you come here for, Crysto? Be fast, or I shall freeze you to the core and turn you into a beautiful statue for in the library!” the voice shrieked. The blizzard intensified.

“Mistress!” Crysto shouted at the top of his lungs, trying to raise his voice above the sound of the blizzard. He knew he had to choose his words carefully; there was no telling how his Mistress would react. “I have come to report that we have uncovered an entire new wing of the library, previously unknown!”

The blizzard seemed to lessen in intensity. “An entire new wing you say…” the voice responded. The blizzard lessened even further, and Crysto thought he could see the outline of his Mistress, even if it was just for a second. “Well then, how far has it been catalogued?”

Crysto knew he was in danger. The cataloguing hadn’t even started; he had hurried to his Mistress to tell her the news as soon as they had uncovered the wing. “I thought you would like to be the first one to know about this new wing, Mistress.” Crysto said somewhat reluctantly, “We have… yet to… begin cataloguing it…”

“WHAT?!” Crysto felled as if the world around him exploded. The blizzard grew even more furious than it had been when Crysto had entered the room. He fell to the ground, pushed down by the sheer force of the blizzard. “THEN WHY ARE YOU HERE INSTEAD OF DOING YOUR JOB ARCHIVER?” His mistress’ voice sounded furious, the blizzard intensifying her voice, making it reverberate through the entire room. “GET OUT OF HERE, AND DO YOUR JOB!”

A strong blasts off air picked Crysto up, and he was flung out of the room, landing harshly on the cold floor outside. The doors closed with a loud bang. He stood up, rubbing his shoulder, which felt soar. He was grateful. He was alive.

It had been a few weeks since they had discovered the new wing, and the archiving of it was going smoothly. Crysto was working on an upper section, looking through some books. It was one of the few privileges the archivists had; they could take their time carefully reading through books.

One of the books intrigued him. It was entitled “Games of Winter”. In it there were pictures of strange creatures, throwing snow at each other, or skating on ice. The creatures seemed familiar to Crysto, as if they existed in some long lost memories. It was as if a thick sheet of ice was encasing them, getting thicker every time he tried to grab them.

He leafed through the book, stopping at some pages, making notes. The memories still tried to free themselves, but he just wasn’t able to penetrate the thick layer of ice encasing them. Then he stopped at a page. A couple of smaller creatures had built a large fort using snow, and were again tossing snow at each other. The sheet of ice exploded, and memories Crysto had long since forgotten came rushing back to him, memories of himself as human, his parents, and the terrible day at which he had been taken to Arcadia. There was a name, John, though he couldn’t quite place it. A tear ran down his eye, freezing immediately and falling to pieces on the cold floor of the library. He wanted to go back. To go… home.

Crysto hid the book well, and whenever he had a chance, he read parts of it. More and more memories came flooding back, and he had started formulating a plan to escape. One thing he decided, when he was going to escape, he was taking Oomp with him.

His plan was made quickly, taking advantage of the lack of intelligence the Yeti had to escape during the night. The way to the Hedge was easy; he could see it from some of the towers of the library. The only thing left, was navigating the Hedge itself. Oomp and he could hopefully overpower the stuff they found in there, but navigating through the maze would prove tricky.

As he pondered this, he turned into a corridor of the new wing. It was dark, and he lit a candle. It was a cold candle, burning with a bright blue flame. It bathed the corridor in a cold, bluish light. Crysto walked on, and then tripped over something. The candle fell, and where it fell, it froze the floor.

Crysto quickly picked it up, and turned to see what he had tripped over. On the ground, lay a small sheet of ice, extremely thin. As he picked it up, it unfolded. Crysto’s eyes grew bigger. The sheet of ice had unfolded into a map. A map… of the Hedge.

“Impossible”, thought Crysto, “The Hedge is just like the rest of Faerie, mutable in any way. There can’t possibly be a map of it.” No sooner had he thought it, or the lines on the map started shifting, as if they were rearranging themselves to keep up with the ever changing Hedge.

“This could work.” Crysto said to himself.

He had it all figured out. He would get Oomp alone during the day, and try and convince him to come. Then, under the cover of darkness, they would slip out, probably having to deal with one or two patrolling yeti on the way. The cover of darkness might be tricky if there were a full moon out, but he’d just have to take the gamble. There was no telling when a moonless sky would appear in this crazy world.

As he walked through the frozen corridors of the library, he felt eyes staring at him from everywhere. Crysto couldn’t be sure whether or not his Mistress knew, knew what he was thinking, knew what he was about to do. He didn’t even notice running into a big wall of fur until a hand grasped him and lifted him in the air.

For a second, Crysto thought he’d find Oomp, but that thought quickly fled as the hand started crushing him.

“Stupid man hurt Grok!” the yeti said, squeezing Crysto even harder.

Grok was known as one of the most aggressive Yeti in the entire library. Many were the archivists that had died after running afoul of him.

“Damn…” said Crysto, as the world started to fade to black. It had all been for naught.

Suddenly, the grip of the beast lessened. Crysto fell to the floor. His senses returned slowly, though he could make out two vague white shapes, intertwined with each other. Vaguely, he could hear the sounds of the two shapes, growling and snarling.

When Crysto’s senses returned, one of the white shapes lay silent on the floor, the other panting as it stood above the other. Both were covered red with blood. Crysto’s sight sharpened and he could now clearly make the shape of Grok lying still on the floor. Oomp stood over him, panting. Oomp turned around.

“Friend!” it growled, looking at Crysto.

He approached Crysto, shaking a little bit. “Friend good?” it asked.

Crysto nodded, and tried to stand up. He fell. Oomp’s hand caught him however, assisting him.

“I’ll be fine Oomp” Crysto said, still a little bit shaken. Most of his frozen hair had cracked under Grok’s squeezing grasp, and it now hang limp over his head. “Come Oomp, I have to show you something.”

Crysto took Oomp to the new wing, to the dark corridor where he had first found the map. He showed Oomp the book. He showed him pictures of children playing in the snow, telling Oomp of the world Crysto came from.

“Will you help me get home Oomp?” Crysto asked.

Oomp reached for the book, taking it into his large hand. His eyes betrayed something Crysto had not seen before in any of the Yeti. They showed intelligence, compassion. It was almost as if Oomp were, or at least had at one time been, human. Oomp leafed through the book, stopping at some of the pages.

“Home…” Oomp growled. “I’d like… to go… home… Crysto, let’s go home, together. I’ll help you escape.”

Crysto was dumbstruck. Never had he even considered the big, near mindless Yeti to be Changelings. But if this was true, they had to escape now. Not only had Oomp killed another Yeti, he had also regained, at least to some part, his intelligence. There was no time to wait for darkness to cover their escape.

The escape route they were going to take was set up so that they would exit from the library as close to the Hedge as possible. It would take them past few areas that had active patrols. The Yeti following an archivist was a rare scene in the library, but not unseen. They were great for lifting heavy loads, but due to their big hands they were rarely used unless the archivist had no other option of moving items.

They had reached the exit without any incidents. The doors stood open, and a cold wind blew through them, meeting Crysto and Oomp head-on. Two big yetis guarded the door, looking suspiciously at the pair. They snarled, baring their teeth.

Crysto raised a hand. The wind picked up. The yetis had just enough time to realize what happened. A second later, they were frozen solid. Crysto and Oomp ran, never looking back. They ran as fast as their feet could carry them, scared that their escape would be noticed. The Hedge kept drawing nearer and nearer, and still, no sound of pursuit came from the Frozen Library.

Oomp and Crysto dove into the Hedge, never looking back at the library they had just escaped from. Had they, they might have seen the two cold eyes staring at them from a window of the tallest of the library’s towers; two cold eyes, belonging to a cold woman with even colder emotions. She smiled a cold smile, and turned around.