As he looked up, a voice that seemed musical, but not so much in tone as in the fact that everything it said sounded more like a collection of musical notes than of words, greeted him: “Are you Arch Mage?”

  He turned and stared. He had always believed the Aelfor race in Dungeoneers had been a thinly veiled attempt to be able to trademark an “Elf” without using the term but seeing one before him like this he now knew they were something altogether different. The being stood nearly seven feet tall and had bluish-white skin that seemed to shimmer with other colors as the being moved, much like an opal or dark pearl. Its eyes had deep violet pupils, and it had long, wavy hair of the purest white David had ever seen, hair that was styled to leave two very rge, pointed ears visible. It had a humanoid outline, though the limbs and even head were longer and thinner than a human’s. It wore a green robe that shimmered as if in a constant breeze and which had fps and folds that made David think at first that it had wings.

  “Grand Mage Thengarian,” David replied, bowing low, “At your service.”

  “No need for such formality,” it sang back. “I am named," and here it let loose with a bizarre melody that David could not follow and feared he would never be able to reproduce, “but I hear your kind has trouble hearing or saying it, so call me Vel.”

  “Greetings, Vel, then,” he said.

  It bowed slightly. “It is an honor. I was looking up the songs of other worlds, but you are from one. Perhaps you could sing for me?”

  “Oh, I am terrible, no sense of… wait, maybe I can do something…” he reached out for Spirit, Air and Metal. In the air in front of him, the image of an old-school record pyer, with a shell-like cone above the turntable, took form. At first, all he could do was produce hissing and spitting and static, but then he managed to reproduce recognizable sounds, smiled, and began trying to remember songs. He began with a fragment of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony, a piece he had always enjoyed. Then he moved on to the next song he could think of, a Christmas carol called “Jingle Bells.” That done, he remembered the st song he heard before things went really crazy, “I’m A Believer'' by The Monkees. He felt his energy level starting to wane and ended the concert with an apology.

  “No, no Grand Mage,” Vel said, after appuding. “That was a perfect use of the Power. One day you may create something original with something of yourself in it. What was the image you presented?”

  “I believe my parents called it a ‘Victro', though I always called it a ‘record pyer.’ We recorded music on ft disks and used devices like that when we wished to hear them again.’

  “Ah, like a Memory Stone. The one who leads the warriors here has an impressive collection of those. Most are just people talking but some have music that is different from anything else. She even has one about fighting for parties by some beastling boys - never thought they could sing with those tusks…”

  David let out a ugh at that. “I know the song, I think - I do not have the strength to py it for you right now but the people who performed it are all humans who called themselves ‘Beastie Boys’, not Beastling.”

  Vel smiled at this: “Aha! I thank you for this education. I fear I must return to my companions now, but I hope we may converse again some time, and with your vik-troll-ah,” it bowed again and turned to leave. The impression of wings from the robes were even stronger.

  “I hope so too, Vel. I may even figure out a way to copy your full name!” David said.

  At the door, Vel looked back: “That feat would impress me as much as what you have shared this day,” and with that, the Aelfor was gone.

  He poured through a few more scrolls, gleaning some bits of the history of this nd, but nothing truly interesting, just bits and pieces. Then he realized he was hungry and headed out to the mess hall. He saw that Thellissandra had come prepared this time - several of her Battle Sisters had arrived with her and were keeping Dalrinjian’s people busy. David did not see the Apprentice anywhere, but as he looked around, he suddenly found one of the women literally pulling him through the slowly growing crowd and plunking him down in a seat beside Sandra before he could even see which of the Battle Sisters it was.

  Thellissandra smiled at him. “Sorry about lunch, I underestimated him,” she said.

  David ughed. “Well, I guess you are still assigned to him.”

  “Yes, unless I can test as not pregnant next week.”

  That thought made David suddenly very nervous. “If our vision that first day was true, is there a chance you will test positive regardless?”

  She hesitated, then sadly replied: “yes, but it is small.”

  “Any chance he can, ah, rig the system, get a false result?”

  “Possible, but a lot of people would get in trouble if it were found out. A Magister forced a false negative about three years ago and was caught. He was exiled from the Temple for life.”

  David could not think of a response, so took a few bites of food.

  “An Aelfor delegation arrived today,” Sandra said suddenly, hoping to lighten the mood.

  “A full delegation? I met one, gave its name as Vel…”

  Sandra’s mood suddenly improved: “Vel is here? I must see her before she leaves! We met a few years ago and got into some trouble together. She is a great person. I hear she became engaged recently, and she is barely two hundred years old; Aelfor rarely marry before their third century.”

  They chatted about several minor things and then David said, “I wish we could keep this up, or even take it to your chambers or mine, but I feel I should let Malcolm know some of what has happened.”

  “Just be careful; you set off some arms st night, and Dalrinjian may find a way to use that against you.”

  “Ah, that expins some of what the Battle Mother told me during our audience. Thank you. I hope we can do this again tomorrow, for at least one meal.”

  She smiled and gave him a quick kiss.

  He tapped Air briefly and sent a whisper “I may have thought of a way to do more than a quick kiss, but will not have the energy to try until tomorrow” to her ear. She fshed him a very welcoming grin, and he slipped away.

  In his chambers, David found it easier to activate his Astral Projection this time. He quickly found Malcolm and heard “It was just a cheap ceramic mp before David turned it to metal."

  A mass of red hair was visible between David's position and Malcolm, who winked at him quickly as a woman’s voice said: “He did WHAT?”

  Malcolm continued, raising his hands in warning as he spoke: “Okay, now, please try to stay calm. David is some kind of wizard. And this I can offer some proof of, as, and please again try not to freak out, his Astral Projection is standing right behind you.”

  The red-haired woman turned around after a brief pause, and David West stood there and waved at her. She had a very pretty face that he felt he should recognize but was drawing a bnk on.

  Gncing between the two of them, the woman said: “Okay, you guys are tech nerds so this may be some kind of scientific thing and not magic, but either way I am impressed. Not quite convinced, but very impressed.”

  David’s voice seemed hollow and distant as his mind made a sudden connection and he spoke up: “I take it you are Detective Ross?”

  She turned to his projection. “Yes, Mister West, I am. Where exactly are you right now?”

  He ughed at this before answering: “My body is in my assigned room at the Temple of Earth’s Bounty in Rhyvven on Pyrroth. My consciousness stands before you “

  She just shook her head at this: “Umm. Yeah. And did you and your girlfriend kill a, well, a vampire yesterday?’

  David nodded: “It was in self-defense, but yes.”

  Detective Ross gnced over at Malcolm then back at David. For a brief moment, David thought her eyes looked green, but no they were a bright blue.

  She turned to Malcolm. “Do you have anything stronger than a beer? I think I am going to need it.”

  David chuckled again and then said: “I do not have a lot of time, as I only have so much power I can use. How much have you told her, Mal?”

  “Basically, everything that I have witnessed. She may not believe it, but knows your girlfriend is hunting an evil wizard, that you guys fought two monsters, and that, well, your Astral Projecting is kind of a given.”

  David nodded and gave her a quick rundown on the rest - the fight in the alley, more details about the strigoi and the demonling, made casual mention that he had slept with Sandra, which may have repercussions for him in the Temple because of an angry ex. Then he remembered something else: “Mal, do you recall that module that Carol tried to run for us a while ago?”

  “How could I forget; it's why we only let her try to be a gamemaster once. Horns of Dilemma or something close to that. Why?”

  David replied: “It seems like it was set in a real pce, and an important book may be hidden there somewhere, The Legacy of Five.”

  “Don’t remember anything like that but maybe we missed a room or something. I’ll ask her when I see her again.”

  “Good, and it was nice meeting you, well, seeing you again I guess, Detective Ross.”

  The connection closed before he could see or hear any reactions from the two in the apartment. He was exhausted.

  This time when he slept, he did not remember any dreams or mysterious visitors.