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Panacea . . .

Before long, the ravine widened and became less steep, eventually broadening into a valley once more.  The path wound its way down onto more level ground and became a dirt & gravel road again.  However, the RoachKings traveled only a short distance along this road before spotting another situation of interest.

Up ahead, a crowd of several dozen people had gathered around a small wagon of some kind. Next to the wagon was a small makeshift stage and the crowd was watching a man on the stage who was making what appeared to be a spirited presentation. He had a small table in front of him and on the table were several bottles, jars, boxes & jugs, along with several glasses & a pitcher full of a clear liquid that appeared to be water. In a cabinet compartment on the inside of the open wagon door behind him were many other small bottles, jars & boxes.

He had obviously gone through his schpiel many times already, but several people were just leaving as the RoachKings approached, so he turned to the RKs with a big smile and started all over again with an enthusiastic voice:

"Dr. Billy Amazing here! Step right up my friends and join the hundreds - dare I say the thousands - who have already experienced the incredible healing powers of Dr. Amazing's Patented Opti-Mystical Curative Remedies." The RKs noticed that he was constantly gesturing toward the audience with his hands, either pointing his index finger up or reaching out with his palm up. "The healing powers of this patent medicine are available as a powder, a tonic, a liniment, or in extra-strength potion form."  He pointed in succession to each type of container on the table in front of him as he spoke.

Without missing a beat, Dr. Amazing picked up a small porcelain jar from the table in front of him and removed the lid to reveal a fine prismatic powder. He took a small silver spoon from his coat pocket & scooped up a portion of the powder, then dumped it into a glass of water & began to stir. Meanwhile, his sales pitch continued, "Just add a teaspoonful of this powder to a glass of water and you have the single most effective remedy there is for minor ailments of the digestive tract, including nausea, heartburn, indigestion, upset stomach & diarrhea. It's also a quick cure for headaches & most fevers."

A groggy, unkempt man in the crowd spoke up & asked, "Does it work on hangovers?"

Taking the question in stride, Dr. Amazing answered, "A hangover's just a violent combination of headache & nausea, sir, no problem at all for Dr. Amazing's Patented Opti-Mystical powder. Try it for yourself." He offered the solution in the glass to the disheveled man with a smile and an outstretched hand, palm up.

As soon as he drank it, the man exclaimed, "Wow! It worked immediately. All my hangover symptoms are gone. Thanks, Dr. Amazing! I'll buy 3 jars!" Several others waved their money in the air to purchase a jar or 2 of the Dr.'s powder; Shady purchased 6 jars himself.

Once that flurry of activity had calmed down, Dr. Amazing moved on. Returning the small spoon to his coat pocket, he exchanged it for a slightly larger one from the same coat pocket. He then picked up a large medicine bottle, opened it up & poured out a spoonful. The RKs could see that the thick liquid from the bottle shimmered with prismatic color (not unlike the fluid in the Hourglass of Epoch.) Dr. Amazing then continued:

"Now, folks, let me tell you about this tonic. Just one tablespoonful cures & prevents more serious intestinal maladies such as dysentery & cholera morbus. It's also a sure-fire remedy for other infirmities like nervousness, insomnia, foot in mouth disease, the common cold, neuralgia, & lowness of spirit."

A sad-looking woman in the crowd yelled out, "My spirit is low in the depths of despair. Can your tonic help me?"

Again, Dr. Amazing didn't miss a beat. "Ma'am, if you'll try just one spoonful of my tonic, I believe you'll find your despair turned to delight." He offered the spoonful of tonic to the lady with a smile and an outstretched hand, palm up.

The depressed woman took the tonic and immediately proclaimed, "By the gods, I've never felt better. Why would I go on feeling low when I have the single most important thing in life - my health. I'll take 3 bottles, Dr. Amazing!" Once again, several others in the crowd offered up their money to buy the Dr.'s goods, Shady included.

When that commotion had settled down, Dr. Amazing once more exchanged the medicine in his hand for a different variety from the table in front of him. This time, he picked up a slightly smaller jar than the one with the powder and he opened the jar, dipped his fingers in, & drew out a small amount of prismatic ointment. "Applied topically & rubbed in well, this liniment instantly relieves the aches & pains of rheumatiz, gout, gangrene, sore breasts, sore heads, toothache, lumbago, sciatica, bad legs, frostbite, bug & reptile bites, sprains & bruises; it'll even cure baldness."

Suddenly, a tall man in the crowd called out, "Hey, I think I'm going bald. Let me try some of that." Dr. Amazing invited the man to step forward and offered the open jar to him with a smile and an outstretched hand, palm up. The man removed his helmet, revealing a quite vacant dome, then took a finger full of the liniment and rubbed it into his folically-challenged scalp. To everyone's amazement, his head immediately began to darken with a 5 o'clock shadow. Within a few moments, the man had a full head of thick black hair. The crowd erupted with "ooh's" and "ah's" and this time at least half of them began waving their money at Dr. Amazing, begging for a bottle or 2 of his incredible liniment. Once again, Shady purchased several jars for himself.

When the excited crowd finally had quieted once again, Dr. Amazing picked up one of the large blue bottles from the table and continued his endless sales pitch. "Drinking one bottle of this extra-strength embrocation has been shown to heal any & all injuries, diseases & infection. Legitimate, documented examples of illnesses completely cured with this elixir include impotence, consumption, inveterate ulcers, Bright's Disease, venereal diseases, systemic thrombosis, leprosy, insanity & the black plague. This, my friends, is liquid grace, passion pure, a bona fide panacea and it can be yours for the low low price of 3 silver coins per bottle."  After a brief pause, he added, "And if you purchase right now, I'll throw in a pack of suppositories for free!"

At that point, an absolute buying frenzy erupted, with most of the crowd pushing forward to buy up as much of Dr. Amazing's patent medicines as they could afford.  When all was said & done, most of the RoachKings had purchased several of the potions each, along with a few bottles or jars of each of the other forms of medicine Dr. Amazing had pitched.  Shady & Standing Bear rubbed some of the liniment on their wounds and it relieved the pain immediately.

 

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Bacchus Plateau . . .

By this time, more people had arrived at the medicine show & Dr. Amazing began to pitch his wares again to a new audience.  Finished with their business here, the RoachKings wandered off & resumed their travel up the road, which continued its climb uphill for at least another half mile.  Almost immediately, the RKs could hear music coming from up ahead, beyond where the road crested at the top of its long ascent.  The music was alien & mysterious, a fusion of styles from myriad hemispheres.  As the RKs got closer, they could hear the unmistakable roar of a crowd as well - shouting, laughing, cheering, singing along with the song, all the sounds of revelry one would expect from a huge party or concert (the kind the RKs themselves often held.) 

When the RoachKings topped the hill, they found themselves on a wide plateau where the road veered away from the river.  As they had expected, there were hundreds of people here - perhaps thousands - and all of them seemed to be partying & dancing to the music coming from performers on an outdoor stage at the center of the plateau.  Debauchery was rampant; everywhere the RKs looked, people were drinking, smoking, loving, swimming in the river, you name it, and no one showed any sign of inhibition whatsoever.   There were numerous clusters of tents on the plateau and like the encampments at the bay, each represented a different type & color.  Shady spotted a group of 3 tents in front of the stage and noticed that everyone who came out seemed to have a fresh drink in their hands; he deduced that it was the refreshment center.

Obviously, it was out of character for the RoachKings to avoid a party of this magnitude but with some of the RKs wounded, they just wanted to find a place to camp & rest for the time being.  They marched past most of the revelers and set up camp on the far end of the plateau.  They didn't engage anyone in conversation, but they noticed that most of the people weren't stopping to talk much anyway.  As the RKs endeavored to rest & recuperate, the party continued unabated all around them.

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[2/20/2010]Of course, recuperation didn't come easily in this environment. The noise of the non-stop partying made it difficult to rest peacefully. Even when they did manage to get some sleep or reach a meditative state, it was intermittent at best. And for those RoachKings who had used Dr. Amazing's miracle ointment on their wounds, their rest was downright fitful. They were plagued with strange nightmares & disconcerting visions. Oddly enough, these bizarre dream sequences actually felt more like flashbacks to experiences they had long forgotten. Some RKs even had the distinct feeling that they had been married and had children. However, once they reawakened, all this faded from their memories, seeming like mere fits in the night.

Unable to get much actual rest, and given the fact that no RoachKing can resist a party like this for too long, some of them eventually wandered out into the crowd to join the celebration. By this time, it was at least midnight. Raal donned the guise of Merchant Prince Bartholemew Trillium III and mingled with the revelers. Kendril also decided to go out and enjoy the party. Salád and Shady got up on the outdoor stage and played an acoustic set (after discovering that the instruments on the stage were available to anyone who wished to use them.) By-Tor & Draken went into the refreshment tent and drew several goblets from the Cask of '43. Everything seemed to be going great until Salád & Shady noticed something strange on the outskirts of the plateau.

From their vantage point up on the stage, the 2 RKs saw a glowing green fog rolling in quickly from across the river. In fact, upon taking a second look, they could see that the fog was setting in on the plateau like a disease from all directions. Before they could act, the blood-curdling screams began. Having created a mist or 2 in his day, Salád took a longer look at the fog and even at a distance of a couple hundred feet, he suspected that this was a "Fog of Rotting Death" - something he had read about from ages ago. The continuing horrific shrieks of those engulfed by the fog seemed to confirm his assessment.

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Instinctively, several RoachKings sprang into action. Shady activated his Shadow Wings and Salád altered himself into a form with wings. Raal quickly shed his disguise and headed back toward the RK camp. At camp, Nuke & Standing Bear emerged from the tent to see what all the screaming was about. The fog was much closer to the camp than to the stage or the other RKs in the crowd, and it was moving in quickly. As they looked around, a man came stumbling out of the fog just a dozen yards or so northeast of them. He looked quite pale & was turning green before their eyes; boils began to appear on his face & other exposed skin as he fell to the ground near them. With his dying breath he screeched, "It's the ffoggh of Kkkk...kkkrrr..." and then literally heaved up his guts and died. The halfling gadgeteer immediately cast a Flight spell on himself & the Helfindian warrior drank a Shadow Wings potion.

Now out of his Bart Trillium disguise, Raal drank a Shadow Wings potion as well. Salád activated his Cloak of Shadow Form to double effect as he rose into the air beside Shadowstorm. Still studying the glowing yellow-green fog, Salád noticed that there seemed to be an energy in it that flowed upward, pulsing with an evil rhythm. Once he could see over the top of it, he also observed that there was a crackling layer of plasma on the top of the fog. Spotting some movement in the distance, he focused his attention there and saw what he believed was a war chariot charging toward them across the plasma layer on top of the fog. The chariot was being drawn by what at first appeared to Salád to be a fire elemental, although it soon took on the form of 4 black warhorses ablaze with a greenish flame. Scanning the full circle of the horizon, Salád saw 5 more chariots spread out evenly all around the plateau. Just then, in perfect unison, the chariots turned to their left, apparently taking a spiral approach toward the RKs & the plateau center.

Once airborne, Raal flew up to an altitude where he could see the chariots for himself and he & Shady simultaneously made the same tactical observation: this fog was probably created by one of these charioteers and if they could kill him first, the fog might dissipate, saving thousands of lives. Atop the staff of the nearest charioteer, Shady's keen elven eyes spotted a gem that glowed with the same yellow-green energy as the fog. He pointed and yelled, "That one!" Salád noticed that the chariots appeared to be ancient Halfastian vehicles from the first age, and that the garb, staffs & other acoutrements of the drivers indicated a kingly status. He also saw that there were 3 archers on each chariot and that the flaming warhorses seemed to be feeding on the energy from the plasma layer. Kendril, who had been in the crowd about 50' or so from Raal, but further away from the fog, heard Shady's call, realized something was going on and quickly consumed a Shadow Wings potion.

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Meanwhile, the fog moved closer and the chariots advanced in their spiral formation toward the center of the Bacchus Plateau. As they did so, one archer lept from each chariot, most of them stumbling at first but all of them quickly taking a stance & notching an arrow that burned with the same greenish flame as the warhorses. The RKs also noticed that the kingly charioteers seemed to be channeling the plasma energy with their staffs, apparently creating another archer to replace the one who had just jumped off.

In one smooth motion, Raal drew an extra-large shuriken and hurled it at the driver of the second chariot (east of his positioin,) aiming for the neck. Although the chariot was still over 100' away, the ninja's super strength allowed him to throw the oversized star the full distance with deadly accuracy and it lopped off the kingly charioteer's head. Raal noticed that there was no spurt of blood from the chariot driver's neck, telling him that these were likely undead beings. Shady flew at top speed toward the charioteer he believed had created the fog (southeast of him,) his sword poised for an attack. Kendril flew toward Shady as he readied a spell. Standing Bear drew out a spear & his woomera (an aboriginal spear thrower) as he flew toward the chariot to his southeast (which Raal had left with a headless driver.) Meanwhile, Salád completed his spell, creating a visual & tactile illusion of a sheet of ice lying flat on the plasma layer in front of a third chariot (now directly north of their position.) He hoped to cause the flaming warhorses to lose control on the ice but even if they didn't, he theorized that separating them from the plasma might cause them to lose power.

Indifferent to Salád's well-thought-out plan, the undead charioteer to the north wrenched the reins left, skillfully steering his 4 flaming warhorses into a hard swerve & avoiding the ice altogether. On board the chariot to the east, one of the archers next to the decapitated driver dropped his bow & grabbed the reins, taking control of the flaming warhorses. Meanwhile, all the archers who were now on foot, along with most of those still riding in chariots, unleashed a barrage of flaming arrows at the RoachKings. Fortunately, the RKs all dodged the arrows & none of them hit their targets.

The archer aboard the chariot to the east was just getting a handle on the reins when Raal flung another oversized shuriken, once again aiming for the neck with deadly accuracy; the archer's head toppled to the floor of the chariot alongside the charioteer's. To the southeast, Shadowstorm flew up behind the undead charioteer he believed was causing the fog, slicing through his neck & chopping off his head. At that very instant, the glowing yellow-green fog halted its advance toward the center of the Bacchus Plateau. Salád readied another illusion spell, this time planning to drop a wall of iron on top of the chariot to the north. Flying up behind Shady & targeting the same chariot, Kendril cast a Crimson Bands spell at the warhorses & archers. He was frustrated that the charging warhorses avoided the bands altogether, but he did manage to entrap the archer standing next to the decapitated charioteer. Just then, Standing Bear loosed a spear with his woomera, targeting the remaining archer on the chariot to the east. Unfortunately, the archer dodged the spear.

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The driver & archers aboard the chariot to the north were not so lucky; Salád's illusory wall of iron dropped from 15' above them, crushing the chariot & all those on board and trapping & severely injuring the flaming warhorses. The chariots to the east & southeast were now without drivers and the warhorses swerved out of control. The remaining chariots advanced toward the RKs and all the remaining archers loosed another barrage of burning arrows, but none struck its target.

Raal turned his attention to a third chariot, one that was now charging across the plasma layer to the east-northeast of his position. Once again, Raal's extra-large shuriken spun through the neck of the undead charioteer, separating head from body; and just as before, an archer reached for the reins to take control of the chariot. To the southeast, Shady sliced through the neck of the only remaining archer on the first chariot, decapitating him. Meanwhile, Salád prepared another illusion and Kendril cast another Crimson Bands spell. Unfortunately, the warhorses of the first chariot once again resisted the magical red restraints and continued on their uncontrolled path. Standing Bear flung another spear with his woomera, but the archer once again dodged it. This time, however, when the archer fired back, Standing Bear was hit.

In fact, in the same second, the Helfindian warrior took 3 burning arrows, while Kendril & Shady dodged the flaming projectiles that flew at them. Off to the west & southwest, 2 other undead charioteers raised their gem-encrusted staffs and a massive fireball flew from each of them, one at Salád & the other at Raal. The Al Qami Illusionist managed an aerial dodge as the first fireball exploded and the damage was minimal. However, Raal was not quite quick enough and the blast from the second fireball penetrated his black dragon scale armor for significant damage.

Hurt but not out of the fight, Raal immediately spun around and returned fire. Throwing yet another oversized shuriken, he neatly decapitated the undead charioteer who had blasted him with an Explosive Fireball. Once again, an archer grabbed the reins, but never got a chance to take full control of the warhorses. Salád cast his prepared spell, throwing an illusory Explosive Fireball at the same chariot Raal had targeted. The archer on board the chariot, as well as the one who had just jumped off, took severe blast damage from the spell. To the southeast, Shady sliced at another archer with his sword, taking yet another undead head. Meanwhile, Nuke fired three quick shots from his manna blaster with critical accuracy, killing one of the archers now standing on the plasma to the northwest of his position.

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The chariot to the west, now unmanned due to the deadly attacks of Raal & Salád, charged out of control and the flaming warhorses trampled an archer standing on the plasma in their path. Still, another barrage of flaming arrows rained down on the RoachKings. Nuke dodged 2 of them, as did Shady, but a single arrow struck Raal, piercing one of the very few weak spots in his armor & further injuring the ninja. Just then, the RKs heard the crack of thunder from above and it began to rain. Salád quickly whipped out an umbrella.

Ignoring the pain of his injuries, Raal flew a short distance westward and threw yet another extra-large shuriken, decapitating yet another undead archer. With an umbrella in one hand, Salád skillfully cast a spell with the other, creating a salvo of illusory flaming arrows and sending them flying toward 3 archers who were spread out across the plasma to the northeast of his position. His spell was so effective, the arrows caused major wounds to all 3 of the archers and he was able to send a second salvo immediately afterward. Meanwhile, Shadowstorm flew into the chariot to the southeast with great aerobatic agility and grabbed up the decapitated charioteer's staff. He quickly determined that he needed to break the staff in order to completely dissipate the fog. As he did so, Salád's second salvo of illusory flaming arrows struck 2 of the same 3 archers as before, killing them. Nearby, Kendril flew close enough to Standing Bear to cast a Healing spell on him, curing some of the damage done by the flaming arrows. Nuke fired again with his manna blaster and 2 shots hit their mark, killing the archer now holding the reins of the chariot to the west of his location.

As the battle raged on, the rain got heavier and the winds blew so strongly that an umbrella was not sufficient to keep Salád dry. Within mere moments, disheartening fatigue set in upon everyone exposed to the downpoor and they began to tire. Kendril flew upward, hoping to get clear of the rain, but it became evident that trying to get out of the rain was a futile effort. As the driving rain got ever stronger, it was soon too heavy to see through and the weight of the rain continued to wear down the RoachKings, making them feel as if they were aging years or even decades every second. Just as their passage through the Time Gate had seemed to wash away the worries & stress of a lifetime, this rain brought all that back, and then some. Although the RKs had no way of knowing it, they were caught in the "Rain of Krandox" and, like the actual reign of Krandox, the Necromancer King of ancient Halfast, it drained the lifeforce from all in its path.

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Nevertheless, the RoachKings all felt an urge to move onward & upward. In fact, they all began to feel as if the sheer force of their will was actually moving them forward, once again reminding them of their passage through the Time Gate. This went on for an undeterminable length of time, all the while the RKs seeming to age year-by-year, even decade-by-decade. Eventually, the rain let up until it was no more than a mist, by which time the RKs found themselves climbing up a long flight of stone steps. The weight of a lifetime was now on their shoulders and they all realized that they were quite old; even the elves felt as if they were in the twilight of their lives. Soon, the mist was rising and the sun was peaking through. Their stride seemed to grow a little lighter as they reached the final few steps. By this time, they could hear the dancing waters and they knew they must be drawing near to their destination. As they topped the last riser, they found themselves in a small, narrow valley where a large fountain glistened in the sunlight. From what the RKs could see, a fluid vortex shot up at the center of the fountain, cascading down in 3 tiers, each a smooth circular curtain of prismatic water. The low, circular stone wall of the fountain pool bore an inscription on the front in an ancient Elvish dialect, which Kendril read, "Lamneth Ehtelë." To one side of this inscription, water poured over a low spot in the wall, flowing out of the fountain pool & creating a narrow waterway that continued downhill, into the mist & out of sight.

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The Fountain . . .

Now, at last, the RoachKings stood before the Fountain of Lamneth.

Dr. Hu seemed centuries old as he stepped forward and said "Ah, the Fountain of Lamneth; I was confident that we would find our way here. There is but one thing left to do . . ." As his voice trailed off, he walked up to the fountain, cupped some of the water in his hands and took a sip. The RoachKings watched in amazement as his physical appearance grew decades younger before their eyes. The Doctor continued drinking from the fountain until he was as young as when the RKs had first met him some months ago (which was still quite old for a human.) Shady then approached Dr. Hu and reminded him that the RKs had now fulfilled their contract and earned their fee. Some of the RKs thought Shady was being a little too pushy about the money since they were, after all, RoachKings and they were in no real need of the money. Perhaps Shady was just old & cranky. Still, Dr. Hu assured Shadowstorm that their payment awaited them back in their own world.

Salád then stepped forward & turned his attention to the fountain, examining it closely. Inside the circular pool, the prismatic water rippled eternally outward, creating small permanent waves that lapped against the stone wall with a soothing rhythm. Salád focused all his magical expertise on the water in an attempt to better understand its effects. Having seen the results when the Doctor drank from the fountain, he assumed that the RKs would grow even younger if they drank even more. However, he wondered if they would also lose memories & experience as they had when they passed through the Time Gate. After analyzing the fountain for some time, Salád's magic senses gave him the distinct impression that the effects of the fountain water were purely physical. Still, just to be sure, he shared his curiosity with Dr. Hu. The Doctor assured Salád that he believed they could indeed make themselves younger without the loss of experience & abilities. Shady then approached the fountain as well, followed by Kendril, Raal, Nucleon, Standing Bear & the others. In turn, each of the RoachKings & their associates drew water from the pool & drank. The water was so refreshing, they immediately felt younger. Each continued to drink until he was as young as he wished to be. When they were finished, Kendril was once again a spry 4,000 years old, Shady was a youthful 501, Raal was 23, By-Tor was 21?, Draken was 400?, Standing Bear was 20, Nuke was 30, and Salád was 24 (the same age as when he first began his adventuring career some 42 years ago.)

Once everyone had finished drinking their fill from the Fountain of Lamneth, the conversation inevitably pivoted to the subject of getting home. Dr. Hu told the RoachKings that he believed their path back to the World of Lia lay through the sheer curtain of prismatic water on the lowest tier of the fountain. However, the Doctor said that there was one final errand for him to take care of and that he would be taking a short detour before returning home. He told the RKs that his path lay through the vortex at the very top of the fountain. Salád agreed that their work was done here and suggested that they should now pass through the bottom tier of the fountain & return home.

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Meanwhile, not far away, Kendril planted a teleportation runestick in the ground near the fountain. Then, when he heard about Dr. Hu's claim that he would pay the RoachKings upon their return to their own world, the elven Namer suggested that one of them should follow the Doctor through the vortex. Raal thought that was a good idea & volunteered to do so. Nuke tried to question Dr. Hu before he left, asking if he could explain the nature of all the time effects they'd experienced. In a disappointingly cursory answer, the Doctor said only that he was hoping to learn more himself, which was why he had set out on this quest in the first place. Dr. Hu then leaped into the air with incredible acrobatic agility and disappeared down through the center of the vortex at the top of the fountain. Raal followed the Doctor a few seconds later, flying into the vortex on Shadow Wings.

Salád then reiterated his suggestion that it was time to "call it a day" and this time, the other RoachKings agreed. Kendril took the point and flew through the bottom tier of the fountain, followed by Salád, Standing Bear, By-Tor, Draken, Nucleon & Shadowstorm. An instant later, they all emerged from the Time Gate into the grotto of the Zeitgeist Temple. The stone ceiling of the grotto was still collapsed where they had blasted it during their battle with the "other" Zeitgeist. Everyone was pleased to find that they had retained the youth granted them by the waters of the Fountain of Lamneth.

Meanwhile, after following Dr. Hu through the vortex of the Fountain of Lamneth, Raal materialized in an underground chamber. There was a doorway in the rough stone wall on the far side of the chamber, but it was covered from the outside by a waterfall. A large metallic orb with a bumpy patterned texture stood on a triangular base at the center of the chamber. Dr. Hu was standing next to the orb, whispering something about the "Eye of Harmony." He then reached out and touched it, with disastrous results - or at least Raal thought so at first. A strange golden energy emanated from the orb and engulfed the Doctor, who let out an agonized moan and then collapsed on the floor of the chamber. Raal thought him dead, but as he approached to see if there was anything he could do, Dr. Hu's body began to glow with the same golden energy that had engulfed him a moment before. Raal watched in disbelief as the Doctor morphed into a younger man with completely different facial features & black hair instead of gray, although he still appeared to be of Delmoric [Asian] descent. Once the transformation was complete, he opened his eyes & looked up at Raal. He seemed a bit confused at first but within a few moments, he was able to get up and he assured the ninja shapechanger that he was still Dr. Hu. The "new" Doctor then gestured toward the waterfall-covered doorway on the far side of the chamber and told Raal, "I believe it's time to go." They both exited through the waterfall and instantly emerged from the Time Gate in the Zeitgeist Temple grotto, where the others had arrived only a few minutes earlier.

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The RoachKings were glad to see Raal but they were a little confused by the man with him. He seemed strangely familiar, even beyond the fact that he was wearing Dr. Hu's colorful clothing & long scarf, but he clearly was not the Doctor they knew. Raal told them about the transformation, explaining that this was the new Dr. Hu. Now that the Fountain of Lamneth quest was completed, some of the RKs questioned the Doctor about his proposed College of Time Magics and he told them that it would be located here in the vicinity of the Zeitgeist Temple. Salád admitted that his "old self" had once considered taking a teaching post at Dr. Hu's school, "retirement plan and all that - tenure track." However, now that he was so much younger, it seemed like a much more interesting proposition to just "hang around the co-eds." In contrast to Salád's enthusiasm, Kendril noted, "I hate that time stuff . . . it's the principle of the thing." Oddly enough, Shady made no further mention of the RoachKings' payment for services rendered.

Just then, the RKs noticed that the Time Gate was now sealed; it once again appeared as thick glass covering the back wall of the grotto. Dr. Hu acknowledged that it probably closed automatically after they were all sent through from the Fountain.

The RoachKings started discussing their next course of action. The Doctor said that he would be willing to transport them via his SEDAN to anywhere they desired, assuming they could make it back to its location without any further encounters with prehistoric beasties. This didn't seem to present much of a problem as long as they flew above the jungle.

Whatever mode of transportation they decided on, all the RoachKings were ready for this final leg of their long journey.  It felt as if more than a lifetime had passed since they had last laid eyes on their island in the clouds.  At long last, the RoachKings were headed home.