Story Prt. 4

Jintaro was left to his own devices, by the lake. So he did what any Rannek faced with similar circumstances would do. He slept. And dreamed. 1

He was walking through a field. The field around him was no field of earth. Arms grew forth reaching from the earth, along with legs, torsos, some with heads, others, well there were others. The scorched earth was blood red. At points the earth crumbled beneath your feet, while at others the ground flowed bloody, crimson, red from underfoot. He was walking through this field. He saw things on the horizon, trees, and mountains, none of which was what he came for. So he walked this field of his dreams.2

Every so often he would stop at a shape coming from the ground. He would place his hand upon the limb and reel back at the screaming search of the soul he was now using. He staggered back against the powerful flow of images that came to him. A pond. A field. A woman. 3

This leg was his father's, he recognized the battle scars and tribal tattooing. He leaned his head on his fathers calf, one of his hands reaching up to his fathers sole. The familiar rush of images came over him. A tree. A tunnel. A gnome. Several bracelets. 4

He crept to an unknown hand. The images were coming faster now, the hazard of continued use of the ethereal plain. A volcano. A dragon. A pile of gems. A fountain. An incredibly bright tree. Branches piercing the sky 5

He continued on his way, coming to rest before a torso with a head, one that he recognized from his own childhood. What he saw was of no concern to him. It was what he was told that he was here for. He touched his tormentor's face, thumb above the arch of his brow, fingers splayed over his thick skull. His back arched almost double over itself. A different field. A range of mountains. A mountain out of the range. A forest. A pond. A man. A nymph. An orb. 6

He tried once more upon a head with barely eyes visible from the bloody, dead, earth. The images were too fast for him this time. All he could gather was a great and global pain, as of the earth crying. 7

When he awoke he knew Katarin was gone from him. He knew she would be traveling as fast away from him as she could be. He felt he should follow the path of the spirits and go now to the gnomes. 8

He journeyed to the east for many days. Traveling as fast as his Rannek legs could take him. At times he was sure he was going faster than he had ever gone before. He leapt spots in the terrain. Small streams were nothing for a mighty Rannek leap. 9

He was running along a canyon rim, when ahead he noticed a crevasse coming from the ravine. He built up his speed to his top abilities, perhaps beyond. He leapt with all his ferocious might, extruding his claws in case they were needed to catch the far side of the ledge. He went sailing through the air. Landed on the far side of the cliff, stretched his arms out on either side of him, retracting his claws in one fluid motion, and rolled with the landing. He was up and running before he had a chance to marvel at this feat of strength and agility he had just committed. 10

So he ran on. At last he encountered the symbols he was looking for. Trees had been gouged in the area, by Rannek claws. 'Gnomish area', is what he picked up from the claws. There was both a pattern to the markings and a scent on the bark. That was the way of the Rannek. 11

"Bad or good. I know now," Jintaro worried aloud. 12

He loped through the forest in search of a large knotted-based tree stump. The telltale entrance to the gnomish underworld. He circled around the perimeter of this large stand of trees. There were times he knew of when gnomes would have boltholes near the edge of the forest, generally facing water. None such were visible at this time. He delved deeper into the dark conifer forest. Needles were snapping underfoot. There were the sounds of other footsteps in the area as well. 13

Jintaro knew he was being watched. He knew what these gnomes did. What currency they traded in. Flesh, the gnomes were slave traders. As far back as Rannek lore goes the gnomes were always able to supply meat or slaves whatever you needed. If you could pay their prices: jewels, and gems of various types. Only the utmost in quality was accepted. Something you knew and already had if you were foolish enough to seek the gnomes help. 14

He heard the crunch-crunch of quick short strides behind him, even before the net was launched. Unfortunately, it was not before the spikes had started to rise from the ground. Spikes of earth and stone were rising from the very ground around him. He could feel the ground under his feet sinking a little, as it's own material was used to imprison him. The net landed very neatly on the top of the spikes, exactly as it had been thrown to do. Jintaro cursed at his gullibility in believing himself safe. 15

"Good morning Sir Catblood. I am Vice Lexington Mayor Gnoggin, at, ahem, your service. Will you tell me your name or will you be number four today?" Vice Lexington Mayor Gnoggin inquired. He was about a third of Jintaro's height and a half of his weight. A funny little stout man in a suit. 16

"GRRRRRrrrrr, CATBLOOD? I Not CAT. I RANNEK," with a vigorous thump. "I AM JINTAROOOOO," and he grabbed one of his cell's bars with both of his meaty paws. For they had grown nails and the nails even looked a little more claw-like than usual. He clenched the earthen column in his grasp. He was flaking off layers of dust and dirt. 17

"WHAT! What are you doing filthy calico?" and Gnoggin leapt into the air and threw out all his four limbs. 18

"RAAWRRRR," small spikes had grown out of the pillar before Jintaro. 'Apparently THIS is how they make their living' Jintaro thought to himself. He paced around his cell. 19

"Ready to co-operate now Jintaro?" Vice Lexington said, as he clapped his wrists together and pointed to the east. 20

There Jintaro could already plainly see the bulbous trunked tree he was looking for earlier. He knew he was getting in one way or another. 21

His cage fell away before him while spikes had grown to the sides of a beeline path to the trunk. He raced down this path attempting to beat the spikes and thereby win freedom. He bolted down the offered path, then he realized there was no longer any canopy overhead.22

He leapt almost stark upright. The spikes were closing a roof when he burst through them. Dust showered down on Lexington Mayor Gnoggin. Jintaro fell as straight as he leaped and he landed on the roof of dirt that had since closed over. 23

"Now what do you propose, DirtblooOOOD?" Jintaro growled at Mayor Gnoggin, baring his elongated canines. He made ready to jump down to ground level. He saw Vice Gnoggin spread his arms wide, and follow through with a lowering motion. The ground, such as it was, under Jintaro began to crumble and give way from beneath his feet. 24

He could do nothing but fall, into the pit being created below him now. He was three feet lower than the rest of the earth around him. He kept feeling like he was falling as the earth beneath his feet spread to either side and up the walls of his new-formed cell. All the while Gnoggins laughter could be heard from above. "Well CATblood, I was going to take you in through the front door but, heh heh, I guess you can come through the roof. Heh heh, stupid siamese," Gnoggin amused himself. 25

Jintaro found himself going deeper and deeper into the gorge that had become his home. Suddenly there was no more floor under his feet, he fell through to his arms which he wedged out onto the rocks around him. Which were also being sucked up onto the walls of the tube overhead. Jintaro fell and saw that around him there were already spikes going from floor to ceiling of the tunnel that he was in. 26

He heard a familiar chuckle behind him. "Gnoggin will dieee," Jintaro growled to the man approaching him from behind. 27

"Now now Jintaro don't be damaging the merchandise. I need you unbruised if I am to get your true worth. Time to put you with the others," with this Vice Mayor Gnoggin stamped his foot on the ground, and walked away. 28

As before the spikes were being formed in front of him and collapsed behind him. It was like they were locking his path through the closed air before him by herding him in with spikes. 29

They traversed a few corridors, many gnomes were seen to be staring at the Catblood that Vice Lexington had brought in today. "That’s better than his last catch." "Oooh look at his teeth" "Oy he's big then inn't he?" Were a few of the phrases that reached Jintaro's ears in his walking cage. 30

"There we go Jintaro, here is your kingdom," Gnoggin turned and spread his arms before a cell hollowed into the side of the corridor. Katarin was there! Jintaro made quick to hide any sign of recognition. The cells bars collapsed before his own cell wall did the same in front of him. There wasn't enough room for Jintaro to escape in the interstitial space. He assumed this had been tried and since prevented regularly by the gnomes. This was after all their life work. 31

"Sit and rot Jintaro, the buyers like no bruises but they like weak even more. They'll put the meat on you not us. Ha ha ha," Gnoggin chuckled off in the best of moods. 32

Jintaro prowled angrily around the cell. There were a few slaves here, but only Katarin mattered to him. She was off in the corner balled up, facing the wall. Her staff was in her hand but she did not have a good grip on it at all. Jintaro walked over to her. "Katarin..?" 33

Katarin looked up slowly. "How do you know-..." A slow shock of recognition played across her face. "How did you get here Jintaro, how did you know I would be here? Did you bring help with you?" 34

"I'm sorry Katarin, I brought no help with me. My Rannek senses told me you would be here, that is all I can say." Men did not know of the ethereal plane. Jintaro intended to keep it that way, maybe someday it would be different, but not today. 35

"Oh Jintaro, it doesn't matter I know you can get me out of here," she threw her arms around Jintaro's neck. He knew he was blushing again. 36

"Now, why Katarin here?" Jintaro inquired. "Gnomes dangerous. Gnomes Slavers." 37

"Let me tell you why I am here Jintaro" 38