***CHAPTER THREE: Loyalty and Betrayal.***
After ordering TG to accompany Trance on her quest, Rommie leapt on her speeder and raced towards the fortress of the leader of her Order, Charlemagne the White. "I must speak with you.", Rommie told him, "I have news of the utmost importance." She proceeded to tell him all that she knew of the Ring and her discoveries. To her amazement, Charlemagne did not seem the least bit surprised by her news. "The hour is later then you think.", he informed her. "The Nine have left the Worldship of Bara-dur and traveled abroad, disguised as raiders dressed in black. They will find the Ring and kill the one who carries it." "Trance!", Rommie whispered in horror. She rushed to the nearest door which shut in front of her and then towards the others that did the same. "Did you really think that she could contend with the will of the Enigma?", Charlemagne asked, "There are none who can. Against the power Worldship there can be no victory." "We must join with him.", Charlemagne said earnestly, "we must join with the Enigma. It would be wise my friend." Rommie gazed at him incredulously before replying, "tell me friend, when did Charlemagne the Wise abandon reason for madness?" Charlemagne's response was instantaneous and furious. Rommie found herself in the middle of an intense wizard's duel, one the she was rapidly losing. Defeated, Rommie was taken to the top of the fortress where she watched in dismay as Charlemagne converted his ship into a factory creating weaponry and training soldiers for the enemy.
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Meanwhile at the same time that this was taking place, Trance and TG were in the process of leaving the Shire and heading off to Bree and the Prancing Vedran. TG walked a little ways ahead and at one point she turned around and couldn't find her. "Trance, Trance!", she called out. "What is it?", her friend asked coming up behind her. "I thought I lost. I promised Rommie I wouldn't and I'm really not looking forward to spending the rest of my life as a newt. Or having anything bad happen to you!", she hastily added. "TG we're still in the Shire. What could possibly happen?" At that moment Molly and Harper ran right into them. 'You had to ask.', TG thought to herself. Meanwhile Harper was talking about how great it was that he and Molly had run into them and the Nietzschean farmer's genetically enhanced attack dog was heading towards them. "Run!", Harper yelled, thrusting his stolen crops into her arms. TG stood there for a moment before running as fast as she could. They all ended up rolling down the hill to where the mushrooms were growing. As TG, Molly, and Harper busily selected and bagged mushrooms, Trance gazed down the road, trying to ignore her mounting uneasiness. "I think we should get off the road!", she called to her friends. Then she shouted louder, "Get off the road." The friends hid and listened while an old and ugly black speeder pulled up alongside the log and an extremely ugly Kaleran hopped out and began to sniff around. Trance couldn't explain it, but she had an overwhelming urge to put on her Ring. Rommie's warning seemed unimportant now. Fortunately before she could do so TG shook her and Molly threw a sack of potatoes into the tree to distract it. A few moments later, in relative safety, Harper demanded, "What is going on?" "What was that thing?", Molly added. "A Kalderan with a nasal problem.", Harper answered, "But what was it after." "Me. Well it's a bit more complicated then that." "Oh the Ring!", Molly !", Molly said. Trance stared at her in shock. "Oh come on! Do you really think your younger self kept it that well hidden. Besides, TG already told everything she'd learned. Or did you actually think that one night was the only one she's ever eavesdropped?", Harper asked. TG turned bright red, but said, "Ok it's like this. We're all coming with whether you like it or not. So you might as well give in now." Trance sighed. She was going into a place of deadly danger, but it seemed that her friends were determined to follow her no matter what. "Well then we need to leave at once. We have to get to Bree." "Let's cut through the Old Forest.", Molly suggested.