The Articulum
Part 13
 By: Lance Holloway



	The canyon the group of roomen and various assortments of
creatures were traveling through was fairly large.  A good sized river
flowed through the middle and both sides of the bank were lush with trees.
The walls of the canyon were bare, with a small bush here and there.

	Turlon walked beside Jamk and Peten.  Since all the horses except
Vulla were roomen at the moment, everyone walked.  Arna had promised to
take them to a place that will change everyone back to normal.

	Jamk seemed thrilled that he would be a horse again.  He stayed
close to Vulla ever since they left the castle.  Ketta and Wilm were also
eager to regain their own bodies.  Turlon would be glad that he wouldn't
have to listen to Wilm's barking anymore.

	Arna seemed to know where she was going.  She made a bee line
straight for their destination.  He didn't mind taking this detour.  The
longer he has to wait to find the Articulum the better.  And the fact that
his friends would be in the form they wanted was even better.

	Arna stopped at the mouth of a small cave in the canyon wall
hidden behind some brush.  A small tributary of the river flowed into the
cave.  "It's in there," she said.  "Only one can fit at a time.  When you
go in there will be a small pool on the right.  Take a sip from the pool,
and you will be restored to your natural form."

	Everybody looked at each other.  Wilm barked and stepped forward.

	"Good, I'm glad someone wants to do this," Arna said.  "Go on,
Wilm.  You will be human again."

	Wilm walked into the cavern.  Turlon couldn't wait to see if it
worked.  Hopefully it will.  After what seemed like an eternity, Wilm
finally stepped out of the cave.  He was completely human.  No traces of
seal at all.  "It works," he said with a big grin.

	Ketta went next.  She hopped in as a rooman and walked out as her
human self.  She ran to her father and gave him a huge hug.  "I'm glad you
are back to normal, Father."

	"I am glad we both are," Wilm said returning the hug.  Turlon
figured it was hard to hug with seal flippers.

	One by one the others that needed changing went in the cave.
Metty was obviously excited about being on four hooves again.  She trotted
around merrily.  Kelmer's trullum arms were back to his normal rooman
arms.

	"Rarguf, you want to change back?" Arna yelled up at the dragon
perched on the cliff above them.

	"NO!" he bellowed back.  "I am not going to be a human again!"

	"Ok, Jamk.  It looks like you are the last one," Arna said.

	Jamk was standing next to Vulla.  He seemed to be troubled.  "I
don't think I'm going to change back either," he said.  "If I drink it, I
will be human again, right?"

	"It will change you to your original form, yes," Arna said.

	"The I won't.  If it won't change be into a horse, I will rather
stay a rooman," he said.

	"Are you sure?" Arna asked.

	He looked at Vulla.  "Yes, I'm sure."

	"Very well.  Then I see no reason to remain here.  Turlon which
direction is the Articulum?"

	Turlon pulled out the small black box.  "West," he said.

	Mikmer stepped forward.  "I don't want to desert you on your
quest, Norrom, but I feel that we need to return to Room."

	Turlon didn't know what to say.  "I don't want to force you either
way," he said.  "Do what you think is best."

	"Then, I say we return to Room," Mikmer said.

	Wilm looked at Turlon.  "If you don't mind, I could take them
back."

	"You may go, too, Wilm," Turlon said.  "I'm not making any of you
go on this quest."  He didn't even want to be on the quest himself.

	Arna stepped forward.  "If you aren't coming with us, then we need
to be on our way.  Turlon, let's go."

	Turlon watched Arna saddle up Vulla.  Jamk hopped away from her
and joined Turlon.  "You know I'm with you through the end," Jamk said.

	"I am, too," Peten said walking up.

	"I know I can count on you," Turlon said.

	After they prepared to leave, Turlon, Jamk, Peten, Arna, Metty,
and Vulla set out to find the Articulum.

--------------

	The seven of them had emerged from the valley a long ways back.
All that lay around them now was endless desert.  Arna rode Vulla with
Jamk walking beside her.  Turlon was riding Metty at the moment.  Peten
and he had been taking turns riding the horse.  Jamk didn't want to ride.
Peten figured it was either his new body wouldn't fit comfortably, or he
was against riding horses.  Rarguf mostly stayed on the ground.  He said
flying in all that heat exhausted him quicker.

	Peten didn't mind walking, but the heat was bothering him, too.
Luckily they filled up their water bottles at the river in the valley.
However, it was almost gone.

	"What's that up there?" Turlon asked.

	Peten looked up and saw something in the distance.  It was too far
away to make out.

	"It's an oasis!" Jamk yelled.  "WATER!"

	Rarguf took to the air and flew closer to the oasis.  He turned
around and bellowed, "It *is* an oasis!"

	"Come on.  Let's go!" Turlon said and quickened Metty's pace.
Arna brought Vulla up to the same speed.  Peten and Jamk were left to
catch up.  Jamk, on the other hand, had a huge advantage.  He could hop
twice as fast as Peten could run.

	As they drew closer, Rarguf stopped.  "What's that?" he asked.

	Everybody looked.  Peten could see something coming from the
oasis.  Something running toward them.  Rarguf prepared himself to defend
the group.  As the shape drew nearer, Rarguf seemed to relax.  Then Peten
saw why.  It was a camel.  Just a camel running wild.  The camel ran past
them keeping its distance.

	"That's what we need," Turlon said.  "A camel."

	With the false threat behind them, the group took off toward the
oasis again.

---------------

	Turlon was the first to arrive at the oasis.  He leaped off of
Metty and dashed to the pool of water.  He knelt down and reached in to
scoop up the refreshing liquid.  He shoveled the water into his mouth.  It
was so refreshing.

	"Turlon!" Arna shouted.

	Turlon stopped drinking for only a second to glance at Arna.  She
and the others were standing near the edge of the oasis.  He continued to
drink the water.  The other began shouting at him now.  "Why aren't they
drinking the water?" Turlon thought to himself.

	"Turlon!  Look up!" shouted Jamk.

	Turlon raised his eyes a little to see what they were shouting
about.  In front of him was a large worm.  The worm raised out of the
water towering over 30 ft.  Turlon froze in terror.

	The worm quickly poised to strike with it's ugly open mouth with
rows of teeth pointing inwards.  Turlon rolled out of the way as the worm
struck right where he was drinking.  The worm jerked itself back up into
striking position.  Turlon crawled away quickly trying to get to his feet.
The worm struck again missing Turlon for the second time.

	Rarguf swooped down from the sky, but missed the worm as it lunged
for Turlon again.  The worm began to slither out of the water with its
head continually poised in the air.  It kept coming and coming, but its
tail was still emerging from the water.  Turlon struggled to his feet and
ran as the humongous beast pursued him.  He could hear the crackle of
Rarguf's blast of flame, but the worm was unharmed.

	Suddenly, high pitched shriek pierced through the air.  Turlon
glanced behind him and saw the worm frozen in pain.  A beam of blue light
was hitting the worm which seemed to be fading.  As the beam grew
stronger, the worm continued to dissolve until it had completely vanished.
The blue light vanishes as soon as its target was gone.

	Turlon looked toward the source of the light.  He was expecting to
find Arna, but she and the others walked up behind him.

	"You ok?" Peten asked, putting his hand on Turlon's shoulder.

	Turlon spun around still shocked from the experience.  "Yeah," he
said gasping for breath.  He turned to Arna, "What was that blue.....?"

	"Look what I found!" Rarguf bellowed emerging from some of the
trees.  He was forcing a strange looking creature to walk in front of him.
The creature seemed to be almost human, but the proportions were all
wrong.  His head was larger than it should have been.  His body was long
and skinny, but he only came up to Turlon's waist.

	"Hokmal!" Arna yelled as she ran to the creature.

	"Arna?" he said quizzically.  As she drew closer to him his beady
eyes lit up.  "Arna!  It is you!"  They gave each other an energetic hug.

	"Hokmal, thanks for destroying that worm," Arna said.  "I am
temporarily out of magic."

	"No problem.  I can't stand those things anyway."  He glanced over
to where Turlon, Peten, and Jamk were standing.  "He should be lucky that
I didn't turn him into a camel like the last man who tried to drink from
my oasis."  He glanced back at the dragon who was still standing guard.
"I see you have some interesting company.  And I'm sure you have an
interesting quest.  Arna, if I remember correctly, you were going to live
as a horse until the Norrom needed to find the Articulum.  That means that
one of these fellows is the Norrom."

	He walked over to Turlon.  He stared for a moment then moved on
the Peten.  He didn't even look at Jamk.  He asked the two of them, "Which
one of you is the Norrom?"

	Turlon looked at Arna who nodded her head.  "I am," he said.

	Hokmal grabbed Turlon's hand and shook it.  "I'm so glad to meet
you!  I should have known that the worm would attack the Norrom."  He let
go of Turlon's hand and turned to face the general group.  "I guess *I*
was lucky I didn't turn him into a camel."

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To Be Continued......