[K T Ong]

The Seven Heavens was a world of such beauty and magnificence as were totally unknown in the mortal world. Mountains, forests, seas and plains of grass stretched on forever and ever. Firs, oaks, elms, pines and spruces towered far higher than their earthly counterparts. Nature teemed with abundance. Everything seemed to give off a soft glow on its own; even the cool, crisp air, tinged with the scent of rose and honeysuckle and lavender, seemed to be luminous in a subtle way. Above, countless stars dotted the deep-blue vault of the sky.

The party found themselves knee-deep in the water of an immense but also very shallow lake, a few dozen paces away from the shore. "This... This is holy water!" cried StoneRock in surprise as he studied the water of the lake.

"All water in the Seven Heavens is holy water," explained Khadgar as he surveyed the glorious landscape. "...Beautiful, isn't it?"

"How I wish we could be living here..." sighed Rufus.

"Place... nice!" said Fenric as he frolicked in the water. "Fenric... like!"

"This is yet only the First of the Seven Heavens, mind you," said Khadgar. "Wait til you see the Seventh Heaven -- it is said that once you see it, you'll never, ever want to leave!"

"There wouldn't be any hostile creatures here, would there?" asked Chun-Li.

"Impossible!" replied Khadgar as the party waded onto the shore. "All creatures in the Seven Heavens are tame and gentle creatures. There may indeed be such creatures here as lions and bears, dragons and people, but they'll never attack you -- unless you're evil to begin with."

Magnus jumped up and down energetically like a young boy. "Whoah!" he cried. "The air of this place makes me feel so... invigorated! I feel as if I'm thirty years younger!"

"Now that ya've said it... Yes, indeed!" remarked StoneRock. "Ah feel like ah jus' woke up from a good sleep!" (ooc: Whaddya say, folks, suppose we let breathing the air of the First Heaven extend everyone's life by thirty years? [img]tongue.gif[/img] )

"Hey! Sir Brother Morgeruat's become tall and mighty again!" noted Ghzarbanan. "In fact even taller and mightier than before!" Sir Morgeruat grinned happily.

"As I said before," explained Khadgar, "all beneficient magic is enhanced in the Seven Heavens. Such as the Girdle of the Giants that I gave Sir Morgeruat."

"So where's the Sacred Mount of Taphthar-tharath?" asked Sir Jorlon. "In which direction should we set off to find it?"

Just then a giant golden dragon flew towards the astonished party and landed before them before morphing into a giant human form with golden armor and a trim, black beard. "Greetings, mortal friends," said the smiling man with a fist cupped in the other hand. "I'm Tsao Chang, Page of the Gods. I bid you welcome; please come with me to my Master's Palace where the gods await you. You can ride on my back." Then he resumed the form of a giant dragon and crouched down to let them mount him...

[ 09-14-2002, 05:04 AM: Message edited by: K T Ong ]