Guess what?

Because I (da authoress) am really bored, you lot are getting an earlier-than-I-thought-I-was-gonna-do-this update!

You're Welcome.

Disclaimer: Authoress does not own Yugioh or Black&White


-

'Kazul mentioned they were 'interesting to look at', but interesting is an understatement,' Yuugioh's first thought was.

"Will ya look at dat ting! It's freaking me out," Luster yelped.

"How do we move it, I wonder," Lupine asked.

The Rainbow Creed was basically a shimmering, semi-transparent rainbow heart that was giving off obscenely high amounts of energy. Laurel solved the movement problem as she reached out for it - almost instinctively, it seemed.

The glow brightened for an instant before the Creed faded from view. It had gone inside Laurel, Yuugioh thought, but he was distracted when Laurel turned around and he got a good look at her.

She looked terrific! Before, she had been sporting many bruises and cuts, including a nasty-looking bite, but those were all gone. Not to mention how her eyes seemed brighter and her fur seemed to almost glow, the colors all richer than they had ever been before.

((Is there something on my face, Master?))

The slight jest knocked him back to reality.

"No," he replied, "But - you - are you going to be alright like that?"

((I…think so,)) Laurel replied, not sounding at all sure, ((It tickles a little, but it's not too different than usual for me. Oh, but we'd better unseal Borg's second entrance now, shouldn't we?))

Borg had been rendered just as speechless during all of this, but the troll was able to point out where the other exit was - on the far side of the cavern from the first entrance. There were still huge rocks in the way, but Laurel tossed them to the side easily. She didn't even need the aid of a Strength Miracle.

This second tunnel was more rugged than the other one, and went straight up. Borg lead the climb upwards, and the tunnel entrance was at the base of a large dip in the center of the mountain range. It was only just dawn now.

((Me thank nice Red-Shinyman and Pretty-Kitty for opening tunnel,)) Borg said after a moment, ((Me will never ever forget it. If ever Pretty-Kitty or Red-Shinyman need help, they just ask Borg-RogueTroll and me will help. Me swear it.))

"What are you going to do now, then?" Yuugioh asked.

((Me go find new place, new island. Me swim all way here, me best swimmer ever,)) Borg informed him seriously before trotting off towards the ocean.

There was a distant splash as the troll jumped into the water and sure enough, he swam off, getting out of sight in seconds.

"Well now, we finally have the Creed, shouldn't we find a way to contact Kazul," Lupine asked.

"And how exactly are we gonna do dat," Luster complained, "Da guy didn't say nothin' bout what ta do after we got da Creed."

"Layweh was able to make her own Vortexes, wasn't she? Perhaps we can learn to do the same," Lupine offered.

"Dat'll take too long! Eventually, dat Deathgod guy is gonna notice dat the trolls ain't got dat Creed no more," Luster said, flitting around Yuugioh's head, "He sounds like a rotten customer ta me - he'll probably kill us!"

"All the more reason to learn how to cast Vortexes, then," Lupine pointed out smugly, ignoring Luster as the demonic critter made a face at him.

Yuugioh ignored both of them, not for the first time, as he floated behind Laurel as she picked her way down the mountainside. The rock finally gave way to grass and flat land, and Yuugioh was intrigued to notice that the Duchess's village was not too far from where they were now.

But just over there was a hut. Two people were sitting around outside the hut, a young woman and an older woman. At first he thought the older woman was the Duchess but it really wasn't.

"Well well well," the old woman cackled, "So you finally come ta visit us! Our own neighborhood god-type chappy!"

"Oh my, he certainly is a queer shade of red," the younger woman said.

"Sammy, don't try busting yer head open by thinking, just go bring out some grub, that's a good girl. Sorry bout that, Samantha's a decent girl at heart, but she's just got no common sense - almost as little as that ex-husband a mine. But you met him already, just like you met me sister!"

This was getting more confusing by the second, and it only got worse when he saw the old woman greeting Laurel like an age-old friend. The feline Creature, bless her fur, noticed and must have said something because the old woman finally introduced herself properly.

Elizabeth, sister to the Duchess Maria and ex-wife of the hermit Wilbur, was a real character. Yuugioh thought her attitude reminded him of someone, but the name and face escaped him when he tried to think further.

Her daughter Samantha brought out food and drink, and appeared to be completely baffled when the 'odd-red shaded' god was not there but some 'short guy with really weird hair' was.

It had been too long since he'd hung around in Humanform, Yuugioh decided, as he was unused to everything being so different from a human-sized specimen's perspective. Liz, as she insisted on being called, got right to the heart of their problem.

"Well, I suppose ya'll could ask me sister how to get the Vortex powers, but I'm sure you're not that desperate to run around doing her errands again," Liz said around her tea.

((Is there another person who knows about it?))

"Not that I know," Liz replied, "Listen ta me, boy, you've got a god's library in that temple of yours, don't ya? There's bound to be something in there! Until ya find it or until something else happens, there's nothing ta rush about anyway. Rushing around ain't gonna help, and it'll hurt more often than not. You listen to an old lady, boy."

Those words kept ringing around in Yuugioh's head as he and Laurel headed back to the Temple. By now, Yuugioh had been outside his own Influence Ring for longer than he'd ever been before and so when he tried to go back into his normal incorporeal state he found he couldn't. Once that came up Laurel just scooped him up and sat him on top of her head and they were walking along like that.

((You doing all right up there, Master?))

"Just fine," he said, mindful of her ears being close enough so he didn't have to yell.

Good thing she was here or he'd be in for a couple of day's walk. At this rate they'd get back to the Temple by noon, sooner if Laurel ran. But running would have surely shaken him off her head…and besides, like Elizabeth had said, there really was no hurry.

((Where do you suppose information on Vortexes is in the Library, Master?))

"I have no idea," Yuugioh admitted, "You were in there, did you see anything?"

((I…was not looking for them then.))

The pause made him suspicious, but he shrugged the thoughts away as they finally entered the comforting pulse of his Influence. After a moment, Yuugioh could easily revert to his normal state…but he didn't really feel like flying right now…so he continued sitting on Laurel's head as she traipsed along. And then…

For a confusing instant, he suddenly felt as if someone was watching him. Not just that - it seemed like someone was yelling, trying to talk to him, though he couldn't hear any sound. Looking to where he thought the feeling was coming from revealed no one nearby, not even any wild animals.

And then the feeling faded, leaving Yuugioh even more confused than before, and so he filed the incident away in the back of his mind, deciding to ponder over it later.