From: 698cunliffecj@deanery.wigan.sch.uk (Christopher John Cunliffe)
Subject: [PORC]: Fire and Ice

Tenaka's spirit form sped down the corridors of the Guardian Citadel. He
knew that he had a lot of ground to cover, and not enough time to do it in.
Already he could faintly feel his body weakening. It must have something to
do with the abundance of magic being used in this place – normally he would
have longer than this.

Passing through a wall before him, he entered what appeared to be a strange
museum. Like the rest of the Citadel, it was filled with tapestries and
ornate drapings, but this room had something more. It contained many
statues of people. Some he recognised from the stories. Some too, he had
met when they were reborn in his Master's army. But one in particular held
his attention for longer than the others. 

The other statues seemed to be made of a strange stone, but this was
stranger still, for it glistened like ice. Within the icy tomb, he could
see the young body of a Khajit. Tenaka felt a twang of pity for the young
man. Taken at such a young age, he had no idea why he would be here. But he
had showed bravery. His encasement in ice would have been a slow process,
but there was no fear on his face – merely a look of resigned fatalism.
Tenaka raised his arm and passed it into the block of ice, into the young
Khajit's body. It still lived! He quickly withdrew his hand, not wishing to
cause any more harm than had already been done.

He turned suddenly as he heard something behind him. He felt magicka enter
the room and looked around. Two men were entering the room. One wore
flowing robes and a long beard – he was clearly an important mage around
here – whilst the other had the look of an apprentice about him. Something
about the way he watched the older man's every move, imitated his walk.
They were speaking, though in a language Tenaka could not understand. He
approached.

Suddenly, the older man's head lifted and the two of them stopped walking.
The archmage looked around until his gaze fell on Tenaka's spirit. And
there it stopped. Tenaka was surprised. He was supposed to be invisible in
this form. Clearly, if the observer were trained sufficiently, this was not
the case. 

"Who are you?" asked the archmage quietly. His apprentice had a puzzled
look on his face. He could clearly not see Tenaka.

"Tenaka Khan, Dreadlord. Whom do I have the honour of addressing?"

"That is not for one such as yourself to know, Dreadlord."

"You have heard tell of my title before?"

"Of course. Here all knowledge is considered sacred. Nothing is ever
forgotten. We have writings about the first Dreadlord here. What do you
want?"

"I was merely looking around. I had no wish to disturb you." Tenaka was
slightly worried. If the man had the ability to see him, maybe he had the
ability to harm him.

"I thought as much. 'Tis a pity that another Dreadlord must be lost. I
sense potential within you too. Such a pity." With these words the man
raised his hands, letting loose a ball of fire. Instinctively, Tenaka
dodged. He did not know if the fire could have harmed him, but he was not
willing to take the chance. The ball of fire fell into the icy statue of
the Khajit. The ice melted and the body slumped forward. Here was Tenaka's
salvation. He could not affect anything whilst in Spirit Form, but in a
corporeal body, he could better anything – at least anything he had
previously come up against. 

He sped towards the body of the young Khajit and passed into it. He no
longer feared doing damage to the young man – without help he would die
soon anyway without the protection of the magical ice. As he positioned
himself he cut his connection to his body. He thought for a moment if the
four women would worry at seeing his body appear to die. But for only a
moment. He had more pressing concerns now.

Rising, he leapt at the apprentice, still seemingly dumbfounded at
happenings. As he approached, the man seemed to come again to his senses
and drew a small dagger from his belt. Tenaka's new fist met his head with
a crushing blow and the man slumped, unconscious to the ground. Tenaka
grabbed the knife and stood looking at the archmage. 

He also seemed surprised. He had clearly not expected Tenaka to be able to
take another's body. Tenaka walked forward menacingly, or at least as
menacingly as he could be in a Khajit body. He felt the archmage weave
another ball of fire and he threw up his own magic to shield himself. As
the archmage's magic dissipated on his shield, he prepared his own
aggressive spell. Summoning up all the power he could, he sent out ice
towards the archmage. The icy ball fell at the man's feet, which were
suddenly frozen to the ground. The archmage did not have as much courage as
the young Khajit had had. He had a look of fear on his face as the ice rose
to cover his own body. 

Tenaka released the body of the young Khajit and it slumped to the ground
at his feet. Now in a real hurry, he gave a quick prayer to his Master that
he live long enough for him to come and help him. Racing through the
corridors he worried that he would become lost, no longer being able to
feel his body. He had stayed out too long. He should never have been so
careless as to come so far out!

Suddenly, he emerged in the anteroom where he had left his body. It had
indeed turned deathly pale, but it still lived – barely. As he entered he
felt the pain that being separated for so long caused – but ignored it. He
rose, wiping the sweat from his brow. As he stood, he opened a Window back
to the museum. Only then did he look around to see his companions. 

"Hurry," he said. "There is no time to waste!" He ran through the Window…