Late in the morning of April 16, 1373 Occa, Salaam, Lo Wang, Jesse and Kailar are sent hurrying to the front door of the mansion by what sounds like a loud thunderclap.
There, you find Tully's XP class scout parked on the front lawn.
Out of it emerge Tully and the robot.
Missing are Darian and Zanax.
Occa says, "Uh, where are Darian and Zanax?"
Tully looks over to Jesse and says, "Uh, can I speak to you privately?"
Occa says, "Sure."
They depart...
Once Tully and Occa are alone, Tully says, "Darian is dead and Zanax is in some museum somewhere. We were split up...it was a mess. I came seeking you in order to see if you could help recover them."
Occa sighs and shakes his head. "Very well. Darian or Zanax first?"
Tully says, "How about Darian since Jesse is going to be asking questions very fast. Maybe you can scry Zanax."
Occa nods and casts magic mirror. "Let's try for Zanax first." He will see if he can scry him. If he can, he will study the area and teleport no error to him. He will then grab him and teleport back.
Occa sees Zanax floating in a darkened room...
You see several control panels and chairs in here. Nothing seems to be working. A large glass (or similar transparent material) window dominates the rounded front of the bridge. The glass is badly pitted on the outside (the space side) almost to the point of being frosted. You notice a plaque on the wall by the window.
He teleports...
A moment later he returns with Zanax.
Tully is there.
Then he uses a wish to bring Darian back. "I wish Darian were alive and here."
Suddenly Darian is alive...
Darian finds himself alive again, and in the living room of Occa's mansion. Also there are Occa, Zanax and Tully.
Through the front window you can see the XP class scout parked on the front lawn.
Zanax smiles, "Thanks, Occa! I was afraid I was going to be stranded there forever!"
Occa asks, "What was that place?"
Tully says, "Thank the gods! I was worried I wouldn't get any of you back!"
Zanax then draws his frostbrand.
The frost brand does not glow...not that it ever did at room temperature. There is no rime of frost on it, either.
Zanax frowns, as examines his frostbrand, "Well, I think it was some sort of museum, but either the trip there or that place seems to have made my magic items non-magical. Occa, you might want to check out your own items."
Occa says, "Ok."
Occa casts detect magic and look at his gear and Zanax's gear. For that matter, he checks Darian and Tully as well.
Occa's magical equipment continues to radiate magic.
However, no else has any magical stuff on them...anymore.
Tully realises that he has a run in his stockings.
Zanax sighs, "I wonder when that happened..."
Tully says, "Maybe it was the ride through the nernal transfer. I guess we are going to have to go high tech now."
Tully looks over to Occa and says, "One more favor if you don't mind."
He pulls an ear out of his pocket. "This is the ear of a fellow named Offred that we met on Sagittarius A*. Could you bring him back?"
Occa sighs loudly and says, "Tomorrow..."
He storms out of the room.
Darian looks around. "What... What happened?"
Tully says, "The nernals are very defective. I was almost killed the first time when you were sent elsewhere. Then when you tried to come to Sag A*, you were killed. The nernal said he could bring you back, but he didn't have a mind tape or something like that. So, he brought your body back and put someone else's mind in it. Anyway, we then tried to go back to the moon so we could get Occa to bring you back. Unfortunately, that killed Offred and sent Zanax to some place else. So, I headed here and Occa got you both back."
He smiles. "Long story short, of course!"
"Where's Zanax? Has he contacted you?"
"He is standing right there."
He points over at Zanax.
Darian sighs. "We shouldn't travel via nernals anymore. Oh, and who's Offred? And what's wrong with Occa?"
"I agree. No more nernal travel. Offred is the mind tape that was put into your regenerated body. As for Occa, I have no idea."
"And who was Offred? Do you know who you're releasing if you bring him back?"
Tully shrugs. "He seemed ok, although I suppose Offred could be a she. He is someone from the past. I think he can help us find a good Nernal."
Darian sighs. "I think you should seek an opinion from the gods. Ask Salaam about Offred. For all you know, bringing Offred back could be bringing a great evil or some terrible power. And how did you manage to get an ear from a mind tape, whatever that is..."
Tully nods, "I suppose we could, although don't you think the gods would like for us to make our own decisions? As for the ear..that was the cleanest portion of the body left. He was pretty much ground up meat when we arrived on the moon."
Darian notes that the ear looks a lot like one of his.
Darian's first thought is that it's one of his and his hands fly up to check either side of his face.
They are still there.
Tully chuckles. "It isn't yours...well, it is yours, but not that body that you now inhabit."
"Yes. Well, I would say not to resurrect him or her. But, since you want to, I think a compromise would be in order, but learning more of this Offred."
"Zanax, when Offred was in my body, did you think to check for evil?"
Zanax pauses and nods, "I believe I did and that he didn't radiate evil."
"Well, then I guess we have nothing to fear."
Tully shrugs. "It doesn't mean he was good. He seemed pretty self interested, however, I think it is worth the risk. We need a nernal. I wouldn't be surprised if he turns on us when we find one, though. I expect he wants one too."
"If it's what you want, Tully, I won't stand in the way."
Tully says, "It isn't what I really want, but he has knowledge we do not. He also has something called clearance which allows him much greater access than we could get. I think he might be invaluable to our quest."
"What I am curious about is whether Offred will come back in your body or his or her own."
"He'd better come back in his body. I'm not at all comfortable with someone else inhabiting my body, Tully. So, Offred is an elf."
You spend the remainder of the day recuperating from your interstellar adventures.