‘I don’t think it wants to be friendly.’ said Yllandril andfired off some magic missiles at it, which had noeffect.
‘It’s a construct, it’s magic resistant like us.’ saidAquitain.
The creaturedid nothing for several seconds, obviously trying to decide thebest approach. Miranda decided not to wait, she smoothlyside-stepped the air shield and leapt forward attacking it withAquitain’s spirit blade. She drove the blade into the centre of theblack misty cloud. The blade met no resistance as if nothing wasthere, then eight rubbery arms formed out of the mist each endingin a spike and these lengthened stabbing towards her like a seriesof daggers. She leapt backwards, somehow avoiding the spikes, feltfor the air shield and slid behind it.
The creatureadvanced poking and jabbing with the spiked arms until it reachedthe air shield. This obviously confused it. It then began extendingthe arms around the shield. Miranda chopped down right through thefirst arm that approached her and it fell to the ground turned to asmall cloud of black mist and quickly dissipated. The sight of theway the solid material turned into puffs of mist brought backmemories of the fight in the dream world. This creature was madeout of dream stuff.
Aquitainquickly created a large sphere of hardened air around it, thenprogressively hardened the air on the inside of the spheresqueezing it into a smaller and smaller ball of black mist, untilit was a sphere a bit bigger than a dinner plate.
‘What are you doing?’ asked Yllandril. ‘Are you going tosqueeze it to death?’
‘No. I don’t think I can squeeze it enough for that. I’m moreinterested in how they made such a strange body.’ saidAquitain.
‘It’s really fascinating.’
‘You’re joking! You want to play with it?’ saidMiranda.
‘Yes. You forget. I used to build things like this. Whoeverdesigned it did a good job. I’d like to know how they did it.Constructs are not really that dangerous if you know theirlimitations.’
‘Aquitain, we’re here to find Bellen!’ saidMiranda.
‘Yes, I know that my love, but I need to know how this oneworks in case we run into another one.’ said Aquitain.
‘Well how long do you need?’ asked Miranda.
‘Only a few minutes, I think. Can you walk a bit closer toit.’ she did and then he said.
‘Look, I need the mind clay for a bit, you don’t mind if Istrip off your armour do you.’ and suddenly the spirit bladedisappeared and the gold metal armour all ran down her body forminga pool around her feet which turning into a ball. The balllevitated off the ground and hovered over the creature then turnedto liquid metal and reformed itself as a spherical container aroundthe creature.
‘I’ve got it now!’ said Aquitain. ‘It won’t get out of thiscontainer.’
Suddenly, thecontainer fell to the ground and rolled a little beforestopping.
‘I thought you had it before.’ said Miranda a littleperplexed.
‘No. It thought I had it. If it had been a bit smarter, itwould have worked out how to get out. Now it can’t. At least Idon’t think it can.’ said Aquitain.
‘Quick put me down Miranda.’ said Aquitain so she dropped himon the ground and he ran over to the metal sphere.
‘Aquitain, I’m standing here totally naked and defenceless.What if something else comes along.’ said Miranda.
‘Well don’t just stand there go and get your scimitar. It’sonly about fifty paces away, can’t you see it’s glow on the ground.Yllandril will watch out for you.’
‘Aquitain, you’re my champion and defender, can’t you use yourmental powers to pick it up and bring it here.’ shoutedMiranda.
‘That would be a waste of power Miranda, I’ve always beenagainst wasting magic needlessly. We might need it later. Now canyou please just let me concentrate on this construct for a coupleof minutes?’
Miranda stormedoff to get the scimitar.
‘Bloody wizards, they’re all the same. They find some newmagic toy and they forget all about you. Mother I’m sorry, you wereright, they’re hopeless.’
‘You’re right about that!’ said Yllandril, ‘I had the sameproblem with Llalorax.’
Aquitainignored them and placed his hand on the mind clay sphere tostabilize it. It was now under his total control. He carefullyerased his binding to the crystal body then passed through thesphere into the body of the construct, surrounded its small pieceof spirit and shepherded it into the green crystal figurine. Onceout of its body container the small piece of spirit lost itsprevious directives. Aquitain gave it new directives to look afterhis crystal body and watch and alert him of the presence of anybodynew.
He thenconnected his spirit to the new body and told the mind claycontainer to release him. It turned to liquid, formed a puddle onthe ground then reformed as a ball of clay. He was suddenly free.He felt a little lightheaded and couldn’t see anything. He had agood sense of smell and good hearing. He formed two eyes and lookedthrough them just in time to see Miranda racing back swinging herscimitar at him.
Fortunately, itsimply passed through him. He was just a cloud of mist with twoeyes seemingly suspended in the middle.
‘What do you think you’re doing?’ he said.
’Are you trying to kill me, just because I told you to pick upyour scimitar by yourself?’
Mirandastopped, her expression changed, she looked for a few seconds andsaid.
‘Aquitain, you haven’t changed bodies again haveyou?’
‘Yes my lovely. Just for you.’ said Aquitain.
‘For me!’ she yelled, ‘before you were a bloody miniaturestatue and now you’re a cloud of gas. How in the Lady’s name hasthat improved our situation?’
‘Miranda, don’t let the situation get to you. I know you’revery smart but can you please think before your react. I’ve been inyour body; I know how it gets so excited. You have to trust me. Nowthink, what would you like me to be?’
‘A bloody Newman of course or if you can’t manage that maybe abear.’
Aquitainsolidified into a young Newman male body. Miranda was shocked for amoment.
‘You mean this body will allow you to change to aNewman?’
‘As long as I concentrate.’ said Aquitain.
She racedforward and embraced
