A/N: I'm back again and recovering. Ha, I got some more chapters written. Enjoy..

chickens: It was a surgery. Not very nice.

Dally: The dance works great if you do this with your friend while walking through the shopping mile in a big German city. You get a lot of odd looks... but its fun anyway.

Guan: Thank you. It all went well.

Anastasya: :)

Kinryuu: You are right about the rushed ending. I try to keep that in mind.

So now the focus switches again on Nima and Dalamar... Trouble everywhere...

Part 16 - First day on the road

Dalamar and his Shalafi had just passed a market place in the city of Palanthas when the dark elf felt Raistlin's hand clutching his arm. He turned and faced a very frightened looking Raistlin.

"Dalamar," his Shalafi whispered in a conspirative tone, "Do you see that too?"

The elf tensed.

"Are we watched again, master?"

"These people, something is just wrong about them." Raistlin gestured vaguely into the crowded market. "Really wrong!" he added after staring intently at a shopkeeper selling herbs.

Dalamar studied the shopkeeper closely. He was plain and stout. A commoner.

"I fear I don't get your point, Shalafi."

His Shalafi's whisper grew more urgent and louder with each sentence.

"Look at HIM! Don't you see it?"

The grip around Dalamars wrist tightened. They were halting in the middle of the marketplace and people began to stare at them.

"And that woman, too!" Raistlin nodded towards a young female who was buying vegetables. "And even the children!!!"

Nearly hysterical, Raistlin pointed to a passing woman who carried a baby in her arms.

"Master, I don't understand-"

At this point, his Shalafi lost what was left of his self-control.

"DON'T GET IT?!! THEY'RE ALL GOING TO DIE!!!" he shouted at Dalamar at the top of his lungs. People backed away from them. Dalamar was sure by now somebody would call the guards. Two blackrobes in the city, one of them announcing death to the citizens was like an invitation for the guardsmen to show up. They had to get away from here, or they were in trouble.

"They are not going to die soon, Shalafi." Dalamar tried to walk on, pulling his master behind. Finally he had noticed what his master's problem was. "Its you."

"WHAT??!!! I AM GOING TO DIE???!"

By now they had the attention of the whole market place. And Dalamar was sure even the doves on the roofs had heard his Shalafi's cry. He winced slightly.

"No, you won't, its only your eyes. They are different."

"DIFFERENT??? I KNOW THEY ARE DIFFERENT, I HAVE A MIRROR!!!"

"Master, it is not necessary to become hysterical-"

"I AM NOT HYSTERICAL!! I PANICKED!!!" his master shouted in response. "I JUST SEE MYSELF SURROUNDED BY DEATH!!!"

"Please calm down!" Dalamar commanded as politely as he could. The people had formed a circle surrounding them, obviously torn between fear and curiosity as if the two mages were some kind of wild animals.

"NO, I WON'T!" Raistlin insisted stubbornly while Dalamar noticed some guards working their way through the crowd towards them. That was exactly what he had tried to avoid. In that moment a sparrow landed next to them, picking up some pieces of food from a baker's stall that had fallen to the ground. Raistlin stared at the bird for a second. He grew white.

"Even the animals." he had returned to whispering once again. "That's so horrible! I can't bear it. I'm going to get sick!"

Faster than Dalamar or anybody else had expected, his Shalafi whirled around and fled. He dodged people with a trained swiftness Dalamar hadn't expected from the frail man. Besides, he was assisted by the people in the crowd because they all backed away when he passed. Dalamar was about to follow his master, when he suddenly felt a strong grip around is shoulders. He was held by two city guards.

"What has happened here, Sir? Explain yourself."

Dalamar saw other guards trying to follow Raistlin but they were not as quick as him and they were hindered by people who kept standing and staring after the fleeing wizard. At that moment, Dalamar had two choices. Either, following his Shalafi by using magic and risking not only to have all the guards of Palanthas on his heels but also to attract any kind of unwanted attention by making Raistlin's dilemma even more public than it already was by now. Or he could try to talk himself out of it and likewise risk loosing track of his horror-struck Shalafi. However, the guards waited for a response and he noticed their hands reaching for their swords nervously. He couldn't risk a fight at the moment.

Dalamar made a decision. He turned to the questioning guard smiling.

"Oh, Sir this is very easily explained..."

Ten minutes and some cajoling later, after some metal having changed the owner, the guards left. The crowd also departed since no fight had broke, no spell had been cast and nobody had been taken prisoner. Unfortunately there was no trace of his Shalafi anymore. Thank Nuitari, he had memorized a tracking spell. He could only hope his Shalafi had found a secure place and had held himself out of trouble. After taking one deep breath for the sake of calmness, Dalamar concentrated on the magic and began to weave a spell.

At the same time in a local tavern...

The barkeeper regarded his new customer with suspicious looks. Some minutes ago, the black mage with the alien golden skin and the eerie eyes had stumbled into his inn, had sat down on the bar and ordered a drink.

"A beer." he had croaked. "A beer or something else, as long as it has alcohol in it."

He had obviously come here inclined to get drunk.

The bartender wasn't used to his customers getting themselves plastered already in the afternoon, even less he was used to wizards asking for that service. But how was he to refuse the order of a wizard? Especially if the wizard wore a black robe.

So the bartender had shrugged and served the wizard an ale. The stranger had gulped it down in seconds and than suffered from a severe coughing fit. He looked like he wasn't used to drinking in the least. Nevertheless he had commanded another beer and drunk it in the same manner soon after. After having consumed a third, the effect of the strong drink set in and the mage calmed down visibly. He began to stare at the innkeeper, eyes somewhat unfocused, and leaned forward as if to make conversation. He looked as if he couldn't see quite clearly anymore. The innkeeper stepped to the wizard and served his customer another ale. His guest looked really drunk by now. He had seldom seen a young man getting this drunk so quickly. Relaxed by the ale, the strange wizard began to verbalize his depression. The bartender had seen this happen innumerable times. People drank to forget their problems, but the alcohol made their misery even worse.

"There musht be something 'bout me." the wizard lamented, swaying back and forth slightly. "I don' know what it ish. I see deapeople, that is depresshing enough. And worshe, nobody likesh me. An' even you! You lookedat me like I wash a monshter. Is it 'cause I'm ugly? Man, do you think I'm ugly? Tell me, ish there shomething about me? I dont know, I don't think I shmell- where was I? Ah yes... and that tower... 's so lonely... so boring. And just because I wear black doeshn't mean I'm bad, you know there's lotsh of people who wear black- where is tha' other guy w' was wearing black? I know I saw him shomewhere..."

"That's probably your servant, sir."

"Boy, I have a shervant? Oh wow! Just becaushe... I think I told you this before?... but jus' becaushe I'm wearing black... I'm not bad, man. 's jus' a fashionable color this sheason. I think it bringsh out da' besht in me. Whish d'you think 's ma best shide? The right un' or the left un'? I think I need to work on my shouldersh. I dun' know... maybe I'm not sho good looking. D'you think I'm ugly? Or d'you think its just a matter of changing my shtyle?"

In beer induced desperation Nima grabbed the Staff of Magius without even knowing it and knocked it on the table rhythmically while speaking. The bartender grew white as the walls of his inn when the orb on its top begann to glow angry in a dark violet tone.

"I mean... honestly... I'm na' gonna do anything at you. Jus' tell me if I'm ugly. Look at me... LOOK AT ME!"

Nima grabbed the bartender's wrist. Frightened to death, he didn't move.

"Do you have shilren? Because I don't have shil'ren. And itso lonely. Yeah, I donknow why. Could you tell me- where wash I?- Oh yeah, its sho lonely. You know you could vishit me with your shil'ren. I love shil'ren. I got lots of shpace and we could do shomething and we could have cake, wonderful shweet cake, and fireworksh, an' lovely an; yuuu... D'you know where I live? C'mon, I'll show you where I live. Over there! Look."

She gestured widely and nearly fell from the chair.

"That's a lantern, sir." The barkeeper answered conspicuously trying to keep his extraordinary customer calm.

"Oh, shorry, I jus'- I jus' mishtook it. They just look the shame with the shize and ever'thing. Do you shee the black tower with the dark woodsh and the big bad nasty bugsiesh floating 'round an' 'round?"

"That terrible tower of doom and despair?"

"Yeah, yeah. Thatsh da' one. Tha's my home. You cou' pay me a visit. And we would have cake and we would party... and I wouldn't be sho lonely. D'ya know, thish's great. Where ish- How's he called?"

The bartender had by now realized that the black mage was completely wasted, he had no control of himself anymore. He wouldn't even realize what was said.

"Your-" the bartender started but hesitated. He knew more about drunkenness then most people. It was not unlikely that the black mage would remember at least some bits of their conversation the next morning.

"Your... your... loyal subject, sir?"

"I don' know. That guy that wore the same clothesh like I did. You shee there're more people wearin' black clothesh. I'sa trend! I could open a shtore at home and we could shell black robes. It helpsh to keep you warm in the winter. You won't loose so much hat... hate? health? heat! Thatsh right! No heat. And look how elegantly they look. LOOK EVERYBODY!"

The black robe spread out his arms enthusiastically several times. It was impossible to say how he managed to keep himself in a sitting position. At the third time, he hit someone standing behind him.

Dalamar had finally found his master. And in what state! Totally drunk, Raistlin had hit him against the chest.

"Shalafi, we have to go."

"Oh, bu' why d'you wanna get me outa here? I'm just shtarting to have thish dishcussion with my friend."

Nima banged her fist on the table looking at Dalamar with a drunk expression. She didn't realize that the violence of her movement gave a loud knock which made the bartender shrink even more into himself. What was left of the other customers sat there in terrified silence. Nobody dared to speak or to laugh at that loss of control since nobody wanted the attention of the black robed owner of the cursed Tower of High Sorcery.

Dalamar's calm expression betrayed his inner feelings. Oh Nuitari. This was serious. His master was making friends. That was worse than him becoming a Knight of Solamnia. The friends were not even dismembered or undead or part of any squad of evil minions.