Previously on the Starburst Crystal...

He didn't know where he was, nor how long he had been out. The sun was no longer 
visible in the thin crack that he could see from within the tent.  The night had 
full control over the lands below it, and that played more fear across his 
heart. He'd seen neither hide nor hair of the girls, or Winis since he awoke, 
and it was beginning to eat at him. His sword was no longer at his side so he 
assumed capture had occurred. Perfect.

There had to be a way out of here and to the others. If only he could get a 
guess at what those creatures were. They looked so reptilian, but were 
intelligent, and dangerously cunning. He didn't want to dwell on how easily he 
had fallen to them, instead favoring to what kind of revenge he could inflict to 
them once he escaped from his prison.

A swishing of the tent curtain caught his attention. He frowned, and tried to 
think of something to do to better his situation. His eyes widened upon 
recognition. The dress was stunning, and accented and complimented her in every 
way imaginable. But for him to be trapped and staring at her opened pits within 
his stomach.

"Twizzler? What's going on?" The shocked boy asked.

Twizzler sat across from the shackled boy. "Hello, Kyouji. It's time we had a 
talk, don't you think?"


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The Starburst Crystal
	Created by Ardweden

Legend Twenty-Eight: Sugarcane Prison
	Written by Nathan

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"What are you talking about?  Where am I?  Where's Tsugiko, Yumi, and Winis?" 
Kyuji said.  He tried to stand up, but his feet were chained to the chair and 
the floor, his hands were cuffed behind his back, and thick ropes encircled his 
middle.  "Why am I in chains?"

"Who's Winis?" Twizzler said.  Her eyes narrowed into slits.

"Can't this wait?  I need to know what's going on.  Tell me," Kyouji insisted.  
He squirmed about, trying to free himself.

"Who's Winis?"

"Some kid with a crush on Yumi.  Happy?"

"Oh."  A wide grin flashed across Twizzler's face.  "You can say that."

"So, where is everyone?"

"Like my dress?" Twizzler asked.  She spun about once, before leaning forward.  
"I picked it out just for you."  She smiled, tilting her head slightly.

"It...looks lovely, Twizzler," Kyouji said.  He tried to look directly into 
Twizzler's eyes, but his face grew red as his eyes drifted.

Twizzler giggled, then threw her arms around Kyouji.  "Well, this isn't what I 
had in mind for tonight, but it'll do," she whispered in his ear.  She pulled 
away just enough so she could see Kyouji's face.  "What happened?  When I went 
to the ruins, you were gone.  Why didn't you wait for me?"

Kyouji sighed, for tears welled in Twizzler's eyes.  He sighed again, and closed 
his eyes, bowing his.  "We were attacked...I saw Yumi fall next to me, then..." 
he said, opening his eyes.  Kyouji shook his head and winced.  "Nothing.  Next 
thing I knew, I was in this tent.  Twizzler, where are Tsugiko and Yumi?  Where 
am I?"

Twizzler cradled Kyouji's cheek with her hand.  "You're with me, Kyouji.  And 
don't worry, I'm sure they're alive.  Tsugiko's too stubborn to let anything 
happen to her."

Kyouji blinked.  Twizzler calling Tsugiko by name?  "You're right," he drawled.  
"But-"

"Shh," Twizzler said, placing her index finger against his lips.  "There will be 
time for that later."  She leaned forward, kissing him once in a brief tender 
kiss.  Twizzler smiled, pursed her lips, then kissed him again.

Kyouji's mind whirled.  Twizzler had kissed him before, usually to spite 
Tsugiko.  This felt different, warmer, more sincere.  Quite pleasant, too.  Had 
his arms been free, Kyouji might have wrapped them around the sorceress.  Who 
was he to turn down a kiss, especially from such a pretty girl as Twizzler.  The 
novelty quickly wore off, however, and his mind drifted towards his friends.  
Yumi, Tsugiko, even the furball.  Were they okay?  He broke the kiss, turning 
his head away from Twizzler.

"What's wrong, Kyouji?" Twizzler asked.  Her eyes radiated concern.

"I can't," Kyouji said, bowing his head and speaking rapidly.  "I'm sorry, 
Twizzler, I'm worried.  Tsugiko and Yumi are out there...I can't feel them.  Let 
me go, I need to find them."

Twizzler sighed and winced.  "No."

"WHAT?!"

Twizzler took a step back and spoke rapidly.  "I know you, Kyouji.  You're too 
nice and unselfish and caring.  As soon as you're free, you'll be out the door 
chasing after your friends.  There'd be no time for us to talk.  This is the 
only way we can talk without distractions."

"It didn't seem like you were too interested in talking," Kyouji said.

Twizzler blushed.  "I, you, Kyouji-"  She stopped, took a deep breath, and 
continued.  "I just wanted to calm you down.  You were getting so worked up.  I 
just wanted to make you feel better."

"Sorry.  I didn't mean to yell at you," Kyouji said.  "Everything's so 
confusing.  Am I safe?  Are the girls safe?  What's going on?"

Twizzler turned away from Kyouji.  "You are safe, for the moment.  We're at one 
of the many war camps in Ferrero Rocher.  One of the patrols found you in the 
forest, and I found them.  They thought you were a spy."  She laughed hesitantly 
before sighing.

"Please tell me we're not in Clorets' camp."

"I didn't recognize the standard, I don't think so."  Hidden from Kyouji's eyes, 
Twizzler winced.  If Kyouji should ask how she knew...

Kyouji sighed in relief.

"Kyouji?" Twizzler said.

"Yes?" 

"Do you like me?"  She closed her eyes and waited.

"You're my friend..."

"Just a friend?"

Kyouji sighed, rolling his eyes towards the heavens in quiet supplication.  "I'm 
sorry," he said, steeling himself for the worst.

Twizzler's eyes snapped open.  "What?" she asked, recoiling away from Kyouji.   

"Tsugiko has nothing to do with this, and neither does Yumi," Kyouji said, 
avoiding Twizzler's hurt stare.  "I just don't like you how you want me to.  I'm 
sorry."

"You seemed to like that last kiss," Twizzler yelled.

"I didn't want to hurt your feelings?"  Kyouji said.  Twizzler was right.  He 
should have never let the kiss last so long if he did not like her.  

An awkward silence fell upon the room.

Twizzler stared in horror.  "Why, Kyouji?  Is there something wrong with me?"  
Tears welled in her eyes.

Kyouji sighed.  "Nothing, nothing at all.  You're smart, pretty, quick-
witted..."  He spoke quickly, trying to find a way to extricate him from the 
delicate situation.

"But not enough for you, is that it?  Why can't you tell me the truth?  Tsugiko 
stole you away from me, didn't she?" Twizzler shouted, sliding off of his lap.  

"Wait!  It isn't like that!"  Kyouji shouted, straining against his bonds.  
Twizzler stormed outside the tent, somehow managing to slam the tent flap.  "At 
least let me go first!" 

Silence answered him until a shrill scream, male in origin but far higher than 
expected, tore into the night.  It built slowly, muted by the tent fabric, 
before crescendoing into a final shriek before ending in a wet gurgle. 


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During the millennium since Wintergreen's sealing, the loremasters and priests 
of various sects sought out tales and visions of the Warrior Priestesses' 
return.  But a thousand years yielded a contradictory body of work.  Some 
claimed that they would arrive in the North, leading the armies of the free 
lands.  In other works, the Priestesses rode on divine steeds known as Mashin, 
wielding the power of the elements.  The Priestesses would arrive in secrecy; 
they would arrive trumpeted by signs and wonders.  One suppressed work, known as 
the Godiva Heresy, even claimed that the Warrior Priestesses would return as 
three effeminate men.  But all of the tales, prophecies, conjecture, rumors, and 
visions agreed on one thing: the Warrior Priestesses would march victorious into 
Wintergreen's palace, never knowing the sting of defeat, much less slaver's 
chains.

Had Tsugiko been asked to describe what her stay on Mars would be like, she too 
would have failed to see her present situation.  She paced inside the circular 
hut, casting glares at the sturdy wooden beams lashed together to form a low-
tech imitation of prison bars.  Her hands would rise to trace the glossy 
ceramic-white collar on her neck.  

"Damn it, Yumi, we gotta get out of here!" she said, for what seemed like the 
millionth time.  She spun about at the end of her circuit, snarling.

"Calm down, Tsugiko-chan," Yumi said.  She knelt down, slowly tracing characters 
and shapes into the dirt floor.  She sniffed once, then rubbed her already red 
eyes with her free hand.  Yumi shook her head and sighed, wiping sand over her 
dirt patterns.  "I can't think when you stomp around like that."

"Fine, fine," Tsugiko said, rolling her eyes.  She flopped against the wall, 
taking care to avoid the prone figure resting on the floor.  The hut that served 
as the girls' prison held another.  Tsugiko slid down the wall into a sitting 
position.  "Is that better?" 

Yumi ignored her.  

Tsugiko sighed, loudly.  Nothing had gone right since she went to Tokyo Tower on 
that field trip.  Sure, she had met Kyouji, but she also watched as first Yumi, 
then Twizzler caught his eye.  Instead of a nice field trip spent avoiding her 
classmates and teacher and feigning interest while some attendant droned on 
about how many liters of paint needed each year to paint the tower, a flash of 
light had kidnapped her from Japan, depositing her on Mars.  To make matters 
worse, Tsugiko learned that she had been summoned to protect Mars from a power-
mad witch who had spent the last millennium catching up on her beauty sleep 
before resuming her old hobby of raping and pillaging an entire planet.  Oh, and 
in order to go home, Tsugiko had to defeat the witch.  And that was the start of 
her problems.

Soreness, hunger pains, war, dehydration, monster attacks, cracked crystals, 
countless injuries ranging from minor contusions to rampant blood loss, watching 
friends nearly die, and imprisonment.  If this happened to Mars' chosen 
protectors, how did the planet treat normal people?  Tsugiko and Yumi had stuck 
their necks out for Mars while searching for the shards of the Starburst 
Crystal.  Now that they were in trouble, the least Mars could do would be to 
help them escape.  Perhaps a little fiery rain upon the Ranchers, or an 
earthquake to break open the gates of the many huts in the slaver camp.  

But Mars was silent, and the land calm.

Tsugiko would have settled for nothing more than to hear Kyouji's voice, and 
maybe, just maybe, for his arms to wrap around her and hold her.  But the last 
time Yumi or Tsugiko saw the Knight Protector, they had been surrounded by the 
saurian Ranchers just before the creatures attacked.  Hushed calls to nearby 
huts had found Winis, but not Kyouji.  Was he-?

Tsugiko shook her head, as much to clear her mind of the thought as to rid her 
eyes of tears.  "Yumi?"

"Yes, Tsugiko-chan?"

"Do you think-" Tsugiko faded off, chewing her lip as she waited.

Yumi bowed her head, pursing her lips before she spoke.  "I don't know.  
Everything happened so fast.  I think I saw him before I blacked out, but I'm 
not sure."

"He couldn't be-"

"I'm sure Kit Kat's pestering him somewhere," Yumi said.  She bowed her head and 
blinked rapidly before wiping her eyes.  "He's probably looking for us right 
now."

Tsugiko sighed, continuing her pacing.  "You're probably right," she said.  Her 
voice lacked conviction, though.

Silence descended upon the camp.  Yumi occupied herself in her writings and 
sketching on the dirt floor, occasionally wiping the dirt slate clean.  Tsugiko, 
on the other hand, wavered between anger, frustration, and despair.  Thoughts 
flowed through her head faster than she could process, leaving her with faint 
impressions of ideas and feelings, usually of anger and dread.  All she really 
knew was that she wanted out of the prison and she wanted to see Kyouji.  And 
every single insect chirp and snore grated on her nerves, and the walls closed 
in, and Yumi just sat there, drawing.

Tsugiko wanted out.  

If it wasn't for the collars, the wooden hut would not be able to hold Yumi and 
Tsugiko.  Yumi's wand had enough power to blast through stone walls, and Tsugiko 
knew her flames were more than a match for the wood.

Tsugiko stopped pacing and blinked.  How would Yumi know that the collars 
resisted magic?  All her skills depended on that wand of hers as a crucial 
component.  Without her wand, Yumi was helpless, but Tsugiko did not need her 
hammer to summon flames.  What if Yumi was wrong?  Might as well try; it beat 
going crazy.

Tsugiko stood still and took a deep breath, letting her emotions flood through 
her body.  She could feel her anger and frustration on her skin.  A pale green 
glow flashed across her form, then the burning began.  But instead of green 
flames surround her body, Tsuko felt searing pain wherever the collar touched 
her neck.  The burning spread, torturing nerve cells throughout her body, but 
the searing white pain remained around her neck.

Tsugiko screamed in agony, clawing at the white collar.  She convulsed on the 
dirt floor.

"Stop, stop it, Tsugiko-chan!" Yumi shrieked, clutching at her roommate.  
"You're hurting yourself."  She tore Tsugiko's hands away from her collar, then 
shook her.

Tsugiko curled into a ball then lay still, panting.  "I almost did it that 
time," she said between gulps of air.  She whimpered once, then twice.  "I'm 
okay."

"Tsugiko-chan," Yumi said, comforting her friend.  "Let me look at your neck."  
Yumi's hands slid the collar away from an unresisting Tsugiko's shoulders.  The 
pink priestess whistled.

"How bad is it?" Tsugiko whispered.

Yumi shook her head.  "I wish I had my wand."  An angry red band encircled 
Tsugiko's neck, blistering rapidly.  She prodded a large blister, taking care 
not to rupture it.  "Did that hurt?"

"My whole body hurts," Tsugiko groaned.

"Tsugiko-chan," Yumi said, shaking her head.

Tsugiko rolled to her feet.  "I'm fine.  Just surprised."

"Your neck's been badly burned," Yumi said.

Tsugiko winced.  "Yeah, I'm beginning to feel it.  The collar's not helping any. 
Hope the-"

"Shh!" Yumi whispered, cutting Tsugiko off.  The blonde Priestess cupped her 
hand about her ear and pointed toward the wall.

"What?" Tsugiko mouthed.  She also cupped a hand around her ear and listened.  
Tsugiko shrugged.  She could hear nothing except for the light snoring of their 
cellmate and the occasional insect chirp, barely discernable over the faint 
scratching.  Frowning, Tsugiko knelt next to the section of the hunt wall where 
the noise seemed to originate.  "What's that?" she asked.

Yumi knelt down and pointed towards a patch of the floor that seemed to sink.  
She glanced over to Tsugiko and threw her hands in the air.

The last earth fell away, and a silhouette of a small animal crawled out of the 
hole.  It shook, flinging dirt across the hut until a more familiar outline 
could be seen.

"Gika!"

Yumi swept the carret into her arms.  "Kit Kat!"  The carret basked in the 
attention for a few moments before squirming out of Yumi's grasp.  He dove back 
into the hole.

"This doesn't look good," Tsugiko complained.  Kit Kat's disappearances made for 
a great monster early warning system.  Yumi just shrugged and waited.  

A long, slender orange and green tail poked its way out of the hole in the 
floor.  Then Kit Kat emerged, walking backwards and dragging a silvery object 
with his teeth.

"My wand!" Yumi said, scooping both it and the cat-ferret up.  She scratched Kit 
Kat's ears and cooed at the purring animal.  She looked up.  "I think I've got a 
plan."

Tsugiko smiled.  "So do I.  Get these collars off, get my hammer and the 
crystals, find Winis, and then find Kyouji."

"Don't forget about freeing the other people here," Yumi said.

"Right," Tsugiko said, just to placate Yumi.  Although Tsugiko was all for 
leaving the camp as fast as her legs could take her, she knew Yumi would not 
leave until the last prisoner was freed.   Arguing with Yumi would be futile.

"Now, let me take a look at the collar around your neck," Yumi said.


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Winis sighed as he stared up at the thatch ceiling of his hut.  Like Tsugiko and 
Yumi, he had been captured, but unlike the girls, he wore no collar.  Instead, 
his hands had been manacled after his imprisoners stripped him of all valuables, 
leaving him wearing pants cut out of sackcloth, complete with ash.  Winis 
snickered.  The Ranchers never figured out that he was feigning unconsciousness 
while they looted him.  Maintaining that illusion had been difficult, especially 
when they took the silver torc from about his neck.  His mother had given him 
that right before he began his fosterage in King Caramello's castle.   Except 
for brief occasions on festival days, that was the last time he had seen his 
mother before...

He breathed slowly, rhythmically, forcing his anger from his thoughts.  There 
would be time for that later, once he found the traitor.  First, he had to 
concentrate on escape.  Winis reviewed what he knew of Ranchers in his mind, and 
he knew far more than he wished.  Clans of Ranchers followed behind 
Wintergreen's armies and occupying forces, preying upon refugees and retreating 
or lost soldiers.  For the honor, they paid Wintergreen tribute in terms of 
slaves and goods stolen from their victims.  After Wintergreen's forces had 
rounded up most of his mother's subject for deportation, the Ranchers combed the 
land, looking for and enslaving any family in hiding, if the unlucky souls were 
not hunted for pleasure.  Ranchers had a nasty habit of playing with their 
victims.  During the Hunt, the Ranchers would inflict long, shallow wounds with 
their teeth until the prey bled to death.

The camp would be modeled after an egg clutch, circular wooden huts arranged in 
a spiral pattern.  Winis knew the camp was fairly new.  The palisade had not 
been constructed and he knew of only five huts.  The Ranchers had probably not 
found enough slaves to finish the camp.  The slavers hated tools, for the 
interfered with the purity of the hunt, yet the creatures loved the benefits, 
thus the slave taking.  That way the hunters did not need to profane themselves 
by using tools.

The problem with any escape attempt lay in knowing exactly where the Ranchers 
were at any point in time.  The creatures had mastered camouflage, thanks to 
chameleon-like skin, and they were smart enough to get the drop on Winis even 
with an active Aware charm.  Once out in the open, though, a Rancher was as easy 
to kill as any other creature on Mars, provided you were faster.  That was the 
catch, though, for a Rancher, a bipedal lizard sharing more than a passing 
resemblance to a creature Yumi and Tsugiko would call a velociraptor, though it 
lacked claws on its feet and hands, was quick on its feet and even faster with 
its teeth.

Winis sighed again, pacing circuits around the room.  He might as well wish for 
the manacles to fall off, otherwise any escape plans would be mere fantasy.  The 
restraints were too tight for Winis to try to pull his hands free, and he needed 
free hands if he should have to fight his way to freedom, much less rescue Yumi 
and her friend.  At least his hands were not bound behind his back, a minor 
blessing.

Yumi... Winis sighed contentedly, thankful that his cheeks did not grow red hot.  
Another reason to escape, almost on par with his sworn oath to avenge his 
mother.  His mind drifted, fantasizing about rescuing Yumi, who rewarded him 
with a quick kiss.  

Winis shook his head, clearing his mind.  Now was not the time for such 
thoughts.  He needed to escape, but he could not.  There was no opportunity, not 
under the current circumstances.  All he could do was wait.  Rather than wear 
himself out by fretting and standing vigilant, ready to exploit the smallest 
chance, he lay down on the floor, and closed his eyes.   The Ranchers would get 
sloppy or overconfident, and he would have his chance to escape.  Winis felt his 
chances would be better if his mind were not clouded by fatigue.

Sleep had almost taken Winis when a male voice stage-whispered from a 
neighboring hut.  "Hey, guppy, you 'wake?"  Guppy was slang for a child in some 
areas of Mars.

Winis' eyes snapped open.  "Yeah."

"You friends with those girls that came in a few hours ago?  Y'know, the ones 
with the strange names?"

"Yeah.  What about it?"

"Man, guppy, you've got bad, bad luck.  Picked the wrong day to be out with 
those two."

Winis frowned.  "That's none of your business."

"Hey, guppy, I'm not blaming you.  You've got a good eye for the ladies.  I know 
many lads that would love to be in your shoes.  Well, not now, but earlier."

Winis sighed and rolled over.  "Could you hurry up?  I need to get back to 
sleep."

"Don't get testy.  Way I see it, you and your friends need all the help you can 
get, since someone paid these mud-spawned lizards to go after those girls."

"WHAT?!"

"Keep it down.  Don't let the lizards hear us.  I've no desire to end up as one 
of their disgusting trophies."

"Do you know who?"

"Can't say for sure.  Real beauty that one.  Like a statue.  Wore way too much 
red for my tastes, though.  Rich.  She paid twice a queen's ransom for the 
lizards to catch your friends.  Scary too.  Even the lizards were afraid of her, 
like they knew she could tear them apart and she'd make it long and slow.  
Didn't look like much of fighter, so I'd say she's some sort of magician.  
Probably working for Wintergreen too.  No one else would have anything to do 
with the Mars-cursed mudspawn."

Winis' blood drained from his body, only to be replaced by cold rage.  She was 
here, that...that traitor that killed his mother.  He closed his eyes, inhaling 
deeply.  No, he had no proof, not yet, just a suitable lead to follow up.  With 
luck and Mars' blessing, the woman matching the man's description would be his 
mother's murderer.  

"Guppy?  You okay?"

"Yeah," Winis rasped.  "Why're you telling me this?"

"'cause the lizards grabbed you by accident.  Chances are pretty good that 
you're to be Hunted in the morning.  Just thought you should know why you got 
stuck in this mess."

"Thanks," Winis growled.

"Look, guppy, I feel sorry for you, that's all.  You got a raw deal.  But if you 
feel the need to repay me, kill one of those lizards during the Hunt."

"I will," he promised with the cold certainty of the tomb.  


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"Ouch!  Do you have to move that thing around so much?" Tsugiko said, wincing as 
Yumi investigated the collar about her sore neck.  "What I wouldn't give for an 
aspirin."  She held onto a purring Kit Kat.

"I was thinking of ice cream myself," Yumi said from behind Tsugiko.  "I'll try 
to be more careful."  Her hands traced the patterns etched into the collar.

"So, Yumi, what do you miss the most from home?  Besides family and friends," 
Tsugiko said.  Talking seemed to distract her from the pain coming from the raw 
skin on her neck.

"Being normal," Yumi said.  Her brow furled in concentration as her hands 
retraced a smooth section of the collar.  

"Yeah.  It seems so long since my biggest problem was trying to find a boyfriend 
while attending a girl's school."  And avoiding you, Tsugiko did not add.

"Who knows?  You might have had some luck with Kyouji-san if, well, if all this 
hadn't happened," Yumi said.  The smooth section seemed to be a button of some 
sort.  "Hold still.  This may hurt."  She pushed on the collar.  The button gave 
a bit, only after tremendous force was applied.  Yumi's thumb hurt, but she did 
not stop pushing.

Tsugiko winced.  "I don't think so."  Back at the Tokyo Tower, Kyouji 
practically fell over himself trying to buy Yumi a candy bar.  She bit the 
inside of her lip.  "Um, Yumi, you can stop doing that now," she said.

Kit Kat yowled his assent, squirming in Tsugiko's tightening grip.

"Sorry."  Yumi frowned.  She had spent almost half an hour on trying to figure 
out what lock or mechanism kept the collars locked around their necks, yet the 
design had frustrated her best attempts.  Not that she was surprised.  Far too 
much on Mars was exotic and unknown.  Her hands started tracing the patterns 
again.  

"No luck?"  Kit Kat wiggled free and ran towards Yumi.

Yumi shook her head, forgetting that Tsugiko could not see her.  "So, Tsugiko, 
what do you miss?"

"I don't know.  Music, maybe.  Food, too," she said, then paused for a moment, 
wiping dirt off her arm.  "Showers."

Yumi laughed.  "I know what you mean.  Bathing in stream and lakes just isn't 
the same."  Her hands found another set of buttons.

"I can't relax here.  There's no privacy.  I almost expect to catch someone 
peeping every time I'm bathing," Tsugiko said, laughing at herself.

"Kyouji-san wouldn't," Yumi said.  She adjusted her grip on the collar, trying 
to find the best fit between her hands and the four buttons.

"I'm more worried about some stray farmer," Tsugiko said, smiling wryly.

"Give me your hands, Tsugiko-chan.  I want to try something," Yumi said.  
Tsugiko shrugged and complied.  Yumi took her hands and guided them to two 
contacts.  "Grab hold of the collar and push with your thumbs when I tell you 
to."  Yumi placed her thumbs on two contacts on top of the collar.

"Think this'll work?"

"I have no clue," Yumi said.  "Now."  The two girls pushed on the buttons.  For 
five seconds, nothing happened.  Just when the girls were about to quit, the 
buttons sank into the collar.  A semicircular section of the collar opened up, 
and Tsugiko tore it free from her neck.

"Ouch!" she cried out, resisting the urge to rub her neck.  She settled for 
massaging her protesting thumbs.  The collars required immense finger strength.

"Tsugiko-chan?"

"Right."  Tsugiko turned around, helping Yumi take off her collar.

"Hey, where'd Kit Kat go?" Yumi said, looking about the hut.

Tsugiko groaned.  "Now I really wish I had my hammer."

"You're getting as bad as Kyouji-san about that, Tsugiko-chan," Yumi said, 
shaking her hand.  Unlike Tsugiko, Yumi gave in to the temptation to massage her 
throat.  "I don't think I want to wear a necklace for a long while."

Tsugiko handed Yumi her wand, then stared expectantly at her roommate.  Yumi 
sighed, closed her eyes, and pointed her wand at Tsugiko.  A diffuse pink glow 
emanated from the pink orb, settling about Tsugiko, who felt warmth about her 
neck.  The glow faded, as did the pain.

"Thank you, Yumi," Tsugiko said.  "Ready?"

"Think she's going to be okay?" Yumi asked, pointing towards their sleeping 
cellmate.  

"She slept through my hollering," Tsugiko said, shrugging.  

"True," Yumi said.

"C'mon, we better get started."

Yumi nodded, pointing her wand toward the door.

 
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Winis awoke to the sound of wood scraping against wood.  Someone was lifting the 
heavy beam on the door that kept him imprisoned.  He scurried to his feet, and 
hid next to the doorframe.

The door opened.  Winis counted to five, then threw himself into the doorway.  
But instead of ramming his shoulder into the kidneys of a bad tempered saurian 
guard, he bounced off the doorframe and on to his back.

"Winis, are you okay?" Yumi said, dashing to his side.  Unlike Winis, she was 
dressed in her normal clothes, as was Tsugiko.  She knelt next to him and 
unlocked his manacles.  Unlike the collars, the chains needed a key.

"So, do you try to impress all the ladies like that?" Tsugiko kidded.  She bit 
her tongue to keep from laughing, too much.  Winis grew red in a full body blush 
as he glanced at Yumi's face.  Tsugiko tossed a bundle at him, then led Yumi out 
of the hut.  "You might want to get changed.  We've got a long day ahead of us."

Winis tore the bundle open, inspecting the contents.  Much to his relief, his 
silver torc was there, along with his clothes and most of his charms and 
weapons.  Two spears were damaged, useful only for kindling, and his Friend 
charm was ruined.  He sighed, for he did not know how to fix it.  If he was 
lucky, he would find a charm maker to fix it, but if he followed Yumi and her 
friends deeper into Wintergreen's territory, the chances of finding a charm 
artisan were slim.  He pulled on his clothes, then snapped the damaged spears 
over his knee, lest he leave anything behind for an enemy to use.  "How did you 
escape?"

"We were lucky," Tsugiko said, from outside.  "We were running through the camp, 
chased by movie monster rejects, when Yumi hit the ground when she was aiming 
for one of those...things.  The dust settled, and there was no more Rancher.  
Didn't take her too long to get them all after that.  I just wish I had my 
hammer then.  I hate being helpless."

"What's a 'movie?'" Winis asked, packing and stowing his belongings.

Tsugiko and Yumi eyed each other and groaned.  "Uh...nevermind," the girls said 
in unison.

Winis shrugged as he buckled the scabbard onto his belt.  "Now what?"

"Find Kyouji," Tsugiko said as Winis walked out of the hut.  

"I talked with a man last night.  He said-" Winis began.

"Clorets' camp.  We know," Tsugiko said.  Her voice caught.  "We talked with a 
man before he ran off, just enough to know that a servant of Wintergreen paid 
the Ranchers to attack us.  He didn't give us a description, though."

Winis sighed.  He had been of little use to the girls since the fight at the 
ruins.  Whatever information he had was useless to the girls.  

"Winis, you don't need to come with us," Yumi said.  "It'll be dangerous.  Thank 
you for helping us get to the ruins.  We appreciate your help then, but-"

Winis shook his head.  "I'm going."

"You don't need-" Yumi began.

"I'm going," Winis said.  His voice hardened.

"Why?" Yumi and Tsugiko said in unison.

"I've got my reasons," Winis said.  He shook his head, and the girl knew not to 
argue.

Yumi and Tsugiko shrugged.  "Well," Yumi said, as Kit Kat climbed up to a perch 
on her shoulder.   "Let's go."

Tsugiko placed her hand on Yumi's shoulder.  "So, which way?"

A clap, like thunder, pierced the air, followed by a high-pitched whine.  The 
pitch fell down the octaves, crescendoing until it was replaced by an even 
louder crash.  The earth shook, as if a heavy train rolled by, but not enough to 
affect anyone's balance.  A thick column of grey-black smoke rose in the 
distance.

"The palace is in that direction?" Yumi asked Winis.  The aqua-haired boy 
nodded.  "Let's go."





Author's notes-

Hey, I admit, I'm a dinosaur fan.  So the Ranchers, formerly lizard-like, became 
intelligent cousins of Coelophysis, a small meat-eating dinosaur from the 
Jurassic that has a casual resemblance to a velociraptor.

Anyway, this part almost did not get made.  Let's just say that the typical 
collection of bad timing and mishaps that plague an Impro writer really kicked 
in this week, although not as bad as the Ultra version tends to be.  As you can 
tell, it affected my work.  I just didn't want to skip.  I'm fine, though.

If I remember correctly, I think Wonka (the company) made a fish shaped Sweet 
Tart like candy called Guppies in the eighties.  I'm not sure about the company, 
but I do remember enjoying the candy.

Thanks go out to Ard and Capfox for various forms of assistance in the planning 
stages.

Sugarcane Prison comes from the Cadillac Voodoo Choir song "Sugarcane."

Comments are always welcome.  Expect a style-edited version in a couple days.

Nathan
-achariyth@aol.com