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Back in the hollow shell of an abandoned Library, two of the Librarians Three watched the progress of the Army on a crystal catalog screen, and the other Librarian (a bandage around his calf) scratching himself compulsively and dribbling slightly looked on from a short distance away.
"Why does Hubble keep scratching?" asked the First Librarian
"I don't know," replied the Second Librarian, "Perhaps he has fleas?"
Little did they know that the scratching, and the dribbling were a sign of something far more sinister - for the Meerkat that had bitten the Librarian Number Three was in fact a Weremeerkat, and the Third Librarian had been infected by his darstardly saliva, and with the coming of the full moon (a mere night away) would himself be transformed into a huge, hairy, slavering Meerkat, rabid and hungering for the taste of Librarian flesh...
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Meanwhile, our Heroes were drifting gently down to land in the Royaume des F�es. The landscape was verdant, flowers poked their joyful heads through the lush grass, birds twittered in the trees, and a small rabbit skipped across the grass. Suddenly there was a loud bang.
"Got the bastard!" a shrill voice cried. The Companions looked around them, wondering who had spoken. A green-clad man stepped out from behind a tree. "Over here!" he trilled, "behind you!"
The companions spun around, to see a strange looking man with a shot-gun, clad all in a green that blended almost exactly with the landscape. "I got me a rabbit!" he claimed triumphantly, "you wouldn't believe what those bastards do to my garden!"
"Good day to you," said Princess Miranda, drawing on all her Princessly Manners, "I am the Princess Miranda, and these are my Noble Companions, Bob the Cow, Mystra the Unicorn, MB and her consort Handsome Rob, and the Ambassador of France."
"Hi there!" said the green man, "I am the King of this realm. You can call me Verdunn. I sense that you come in search of a destiny or destinies?"
"Well yes," said Bob the Cow, "I have here this Sword of Destiny, forged beneath the mountains by the Skilled Dwarven Smiths, and we have followed a long and arduous road to get here."
"Yes," replied Mystra, "I too am in search of my Destiny."
"And I need to recover my kingdom from the Reign of Terror of my Wicked Step-mother", added the Princess.
"I, I am so depressed..." sniffed the Ambassador.
"I want to know if I will ever be able to launch my International Modelling Career," interjected Rob before the Ambassador could launch into another depressed monologue (they had had several on the balloon trip).
"And I want to know if Rob and I will live happily ever after, or whether he will desert me me for many floozies after his international career takes off," said MB finally.
"Come," commanded Verdunn, "All shall be revealed..." and he beckoned them to follow him into the cleft of an ancient Oak.
Surprisingly, as he disappeared into the Oak, the Companions noticed that he was glowing slightly, and could see a long flight of stairs descending into the darkness...one by one, the Noble Heroes followed the Green Man into the Oak. As each entered, a strange feeling came over them. Princess Miranda felt that she could feel the emotions of each of her subjects. Bob the Cow had a sense that his Destiny lay at the bottom of the stairs. Mystra felt as though a weight lifted from his beautiful white shoulders. Rob felt slightly stoned. MB felt lustful thoughts about Rob (so these two were basically unaffected), and the Ambassador felt as though his doom had settled upon him. Zed was left outside, happily nibbling on a bush.
Downwards, downwards Verdunn led them down the spiralling stairs. Darker and darker it grew. The stairs grew narrower. At last it seemed as though Bob and the Unicorn would be unable to pass, but just as they thought they could go no further, the stairs widened into a large cavernous space, filled with people dressed in green, holding lamps. Every face was turned towards them, a silent question on every pair of lips greeted them.
"My people," cried Verdunn, in a greater voice than they had heard him use before, "I bring the Questors of Destiny!"
What will happen next? Will Bob's destiny finally be revealed? What is the doom of the depressed Frenchman? Will the other Librarians be turned into Meerkats or will they be saved just in time and brought back to the light by a mysterious Sad Old Git? You'll have to wait for tomorrow to find out in chapter ten.