<html xmlns:v="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" xmlns:w="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word" xmlns:m="http://schemas.microsoft.com/office/2004/12/omml" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40"><head><meta http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=us-ascii"><meta name=Generator content="Microsoft Word 12 (filtered medium)"><style></style></head><body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple><div class=WordSection1><o:p> </o:p><o:p> </o:p>This story is set in the Metamor Keep universe! you can find the MK story archive here http://metamorkeep.com/. <o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> It takes place about the same time as http://metamorkeep.com/story/What_the_Dawn_Reveals.php. In it Stealth, Edmund and Nestorius again explore the Haunted woods a bit more then they intended.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p><o:p> </o:p><o:p> </o:p>Shadows of the Past and Present<o:p></o:p>by Christian O'Kane<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p><o:p> </o:p> Nestorius took all of his tasks seriously. The mage prepared for two days making sure he had all the spells and equipment they might need. Of course what he wanted to take had to be balanced against what he could carry. Finally the lion morph put on a simple but durable tunic and pants. Over that he had a waterproof cape with a hood large enough to accommodate his mane without tangling the fur too much. <o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> He arrived at the agreed upon meeting place early. The path ended where the woods began. It was where they had met for their last sojourn into the haunted forest and it seemed the appropriate place to meet this time. The road he had used to travel from Hareford was behind him. In front of him was a road that led north to the Giants Dike and south to Metamor keep. But what held his attention was in front of him. At one time the road he was standing on had continued east but now it was just an overgrown forest. He could still see where the pavement vanished into the undergrowth. An undergrowth that covered the opposite side of the road so completely as to be a wall of green and brown.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> It was merely an hour or so before a figure appeared, walking up the road towards him. In a few minutes the man had come close enough for the mage to see that it was the cheetah morph paladin Edmund. Nestorius also saw that he was alone.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> The lion looked around. "Where is Stealth?".<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "Stealth has decided not to come this time," Edmund responded in clipped tones.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "We need Stealth here with us," Nestorius said nervously. "He'll be missed."<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "I know but we must respect his wishes," Edmund answered firmly. "I was unable to convince him to come. He refuses to come."<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> Nestorius gave a growl of annoyance and shook his head.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "Going without him feels wrong to me as well," The paladin commented. "But Stealth has never felt comfortable going into those woods."<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> The mage nodded his head as the fur of his mane shook in unison. "I am fearful of going into that haunted place. Dealing with the undead is always dangerous but we must do this." He pointed to the forest. "We cannot leave those souls trapped in there. And whatever has them trapped must be explored and dealt with."<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> Edmund held up a hand to silence his friend. "I understand that. Those are arguments for later when we can talk to our friend. For this trip we must go without him."<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "Agreed. I understand. I do not agree with it but I understand it," Nestorius growled softly. "Are you ready?"<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "I am ready to go," the cheetah answered as he looked south east in the direction of the Keep.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> Nestorius took a step towards the forest wall and paused for a moment. The mage took a deep breath to calm his nerves. Going into the woods made him nervous, doing so without his friend made him even more nervous. Finally Nestorius pushed the brush aside. He stepped through the opening he'd created. Edmund the paladin followed after him. The brush returned to its normal place of its own accord and all trace of the two vanished as if the woods had swallowed them up.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p><o:p> </o:p>****************<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p><o:p> </o:p> Stealth glanced at the symbol on his cuffs. A sword with the point facing down, surrounded by a bow. The bow marked him as a scout and the sword pointing down as a sergeant. The promotion to sergeant meant more coins for him which was nice but it also meant he was responsible for the people in his squad. Three people who now depended on him making the right choices. Would he make the right choices?<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> The four of them were gathered in one of the countless rooms that made up Metamor Keep.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> Standing at the front of the small group was a wolf morph who was quite a bit taller than Stealth. His head and muzzle were tattooed with blue and red lines that marked him as a warrior from a human tribe north of the valley. Although exactly which tribe Stealth did not know. He was wearing armor made of small, palm sized squares of steel. His shield was hexagon shaped in that it had six edges but the four side parts were longer than the top and bottom. This gave the shield an oddly rectangular shape. Dasan had a crossbow in hand. On his back was a quiver filled with a score of bolts and a short sword dangled from his belt in a leather sheath.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> The woman standing next to the wolf was slightly shorter than him. Her body was slimmer and trimmer but still her muscles showed when she moved. Mairsil had a large composite bow strapped to her back and a quiver dangled from her belt. Her long, brown hair was tied tightly into a bun.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> Mairsil was talking to the third person of the team. Adelyte was taller and stockier but the woman had the muscles and movements of a soldier. She had a spear in one hand and a bow and quiver strapped to her back. A jagged scar along her right cheek was a reminder of a fight with a Lutin.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> Stealth tried to follow all of Edmund's advice and look calm and confident even if he didn't feel calm or confident. "Our mission is a simple one. To watch a section of trail leading to Mycransburg," he said trying to sound confident. "We've scouted together before, we've hunted together. This is the same. We do this the same way as when we're hunting deer."<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "Except these deer carry weapons and can shoot back," Mairsil joked.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "That doesn't change the tactics," Stealth countered. "Hopefully things will be quiet."<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "Nice and boring," the wolf added.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "Hopefully but we have to stay on our guard just in case," Stealth responded. <o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p><o:p> </o:p>**************<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p><o:p> </o:p> It was a quiet trip from the Keep. Just Stealth and the three scouts under his command. The journey north went well enough. After leaving the Keep they made their way north. Moving carefully they avoided the main roads as they were too obvious and they'd be too exposed. Eventually they reached their destination. It was a place where a small trail exited the haunted forest and crossed a small clearing. The trail then entered another forest that was not haunted. It was at the edge of the non-haunted woods that they settled in. The group split into pairs with each pair created a hiding spot. This was partly a hole dug into the ground and partly wood, earth and debris placed to make it invisible to the untrained eye.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> He should have been thinking about his small command. Four other people were depending on him to make the right decision. Stealth checked and rechecked all their hiding places trying to remember everything he had learned. But no matter how much he tried to concentrate his mind kept wandering to the haunted forest and his friends. He wondered what they were doing. Part of him wondered if he should have gone with them. Another part of him was relieved at not being in that haunted place. <o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> Time passed slowly for the group and Stealth climbed from his own hide every so often to check on the others. The cheetah scout had just finished such a visit and settled back into his hiding spot.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> A figure stepped out of the haunted woods and started walking intently across the clearing towards where the scouts were hiding. The creature's leonine features were clearly visible in spite of being all black in color. It took Stealth several seconds before he recognized him. He stood up and moved towards the figure. "Nestorius? Is that you?"<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> The lion man turned towards him and ran forward. In moments he was close to the cheetah scout. "Stealth! I've found you!" He hugged the cheetah scout.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "How did you know where I was?" Stealth asked.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "I used a spell of course," the feline mage responded.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "Am I that easy to find?" Stealth asked.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> The lion shook his head and the fur in his mane rustled back and forth. "No but as a friend it's easier to track you."<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> He squinted at the lion. "How long have you been tracking me?"<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "Since I first found out you wouldn't be going into the forest with us," Nestorius answered.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "Why?"<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "In case we needed your help," the mage explained. "And I was right."<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> The cheetah's eyes narrowed. "Ah."<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> The lion leaned close. "I have survived this long by being prepared. And I do like to watch over my friends. To be sure they are safe."<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "I see. So what happened? Why are you here and where is Ed?"<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "It was remarkable actually," the lion gestured wildly with his hands. "When we entered the forest it changed. It was as if we had been transported back in time. We hadn't been in a ruin in a forest. Instead we were in a living, vibrant Suielman city."<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "What?" Stealth asked, surprised. "You were where?"<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "We were in the Suielman city of Camulodunum back when it was a living place," Nest answered slowly as if doubting his own words.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "You were seeing more ghosts." the scout answered slowly. "We've seen ghosts every time we went into those woods."<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> The lion shook his head. "No," he said slowly. "This wasn't seeing a few ghosts in the ruins. What we saw was the live city. We were walking in a living, breathing place. We were interacting with the people there as easily as we are talking here, now. It did not look or feel like we were seeing ghosts."<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> Stealth had a puzzled look as his tail flipped back and forth. "That's amazing and scary. If you were walking among them and talking to the locals why didn't they notice a lion and a cheetah wandering around?"<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> Nestorius shook his head. "We looked to be Seuilman we even seemed to speak the right language."<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "How?"<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "I do not know. But those are mere details. The problem is Edmund," the mage added. "He was overcome by the spirit of the environment and he truly thinks he is a citizen of the city. He believes himself to be a Vigilis."<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> Stealth stood there for a moment unresponsive as if unable to absorb what he had just heard. Then he blinked slowly and shook his head as if to drive away a bad dream. He stared at the mage intently. "What? He thinks he's a what?"<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "A Vigilis," the mage answered. "The Seuilman version of the city watch. He truly believes he is one." <o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "What? How?" Stealth snarled.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> The mage shrugged. "I am not sure. But all of his memories of being here at Metamor, being a paladin, his entire life. Gone. Replaced by a false one from six hundred years ago."<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> Stealth sighed deeply and shook his head. "Why is nothing about those woods easy."<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "I've never liked those woods," Mairsil commented. "They've always creeped me out."<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "If you both were there why weren't you overwhelmed by it?" Stealth asked. "Why aren't you wandering around thinking you're a Suielman?"<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "I always have protection," the mage answered. "And so did Edmund. But for some reason he was affected anyway."<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "He was there before." Stealth answered calmly. "And not in some weird dream. We both were there back in 150."<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "Edmund mentioned that to me. You truly believe you were soldiers back then and reincarnated?" The mage asked.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> The scout nodded his head. "I remember things I shouldn't, Call it a trick, my imagination, a spell, whatever. I know Edmund believes that, but Ed would believe he's destined to go to the moon if you draw it on a napkin."<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> Nestorius was quiet for a long moment. "That makes sense. It would explain why he was so vulnerable. His soul was remembering its previous life."<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "That's it?" Stealth asked. Slightly confused.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> Nest looked at his friend. "You made a logical argument that fits all the criteria. What's wrong? You were expecting an argument?"<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "Well," Stealth said slowly. "Yes. Edmund and me have been arguing over that for months."<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "I am not Edmund," Nestorius responded calmly. "Now am I? But all of this debate must be saved for another day. We need to rescue our friend. Now will you help?"<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "Of course!" Stealth responded. The feline scout was silent for a moment then he turned to his squad mates.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> The three Keepers were standing and listening quietly.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "Philip," Stealth said calmly. "Take the squad back to the Keep. Report directly to George and tell him what's happened. Also tell him that Nestorius and I have gone to rescue Edmund."<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "You two are going in there alone?" Philip responded. "We should go with you."<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> The cheetah shook his head. "No. We've been in those ghost filled woods before. You haven't. And I won't risk all of you."<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p><o:p> </o:p>**********************<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p><o:p> </o:p> Up ahead a tumbled down and overgrown wall suddenly loomed up. The mage came to a halt barely two steps from the ruins. "This is about where it happened. When we reach the wall you will change. So don't be surprised."<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> Stealth gave a chirp of laughter. "The curse changed me into a cheetah. After that, nothing can surprise me."<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> Nestorius didn't speak but turned and walked forward. The other feline followed and suddenly everything changed.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p>End part 1<o:p></o:p></div></body></html>