A Guild Vision -- Part Two

A cloud of confusion marred my consciousness, and I could not see. I could not feel nor move, but I could think. No sound could penetrate the bubble I was in, the bubble that held me from awaking. I did not know if this state was through my waking body or that which was in prayer. And here is where I ended my last story. I had faced a dark man who told me such lies, twisting my honour into something that was beyond evil into the heart of what I loathe.

I thought back upon the faces and words of those that I had heard already in the dreamscape, where space and time were nothing. Some of them were a pale memory, that I knew not if I would remember upon opening my eyes. I wanted to hold onto the knowledge I had gained, and not let it fade into whatever world I was fading into. I felt no pain, no sting of death, no being at all...

And so I stare down upon myself, lying on the altar. I am so frail, so young, so innocent of the petty evils committed by mankind. I watch myself attempting to deny the awakening, knowing now what I never had. This is no dream, no other reality, no vision I am receiving. These are the souls of my companions and my guardians coming before me, beckoned by the force of my will -- my hunger and thirst for knowledge.

I can feel the presence of two others with me, and I look to either side, seeing Zorak and Phillipau still there. Phillipau hands me a black cloak, and I recoil briefly from the biting cold it still possesses.

"Who?" I begin to ask. Now that I have realize that this is not a dream to be interrupted, or that my tie is so potent that it will not degrade, I am no longer afraid to speak. I place the cloak upon my body on the altar, as that was the part of me that wanted to give in to the dark man. As the cloak comes to rest, that me vanishes, as though I had conquered some inner demon.

"It was no one, and everyone," begins Zorak. "He was a composite of those who have fallen from glory, of those that have done us wrong, those that do not believe in our cause, those that do us harm..."

"It was that small part in all of us," continues a voice from behind , "that longs for personal gratification and power. Someone who sees just one direction, has but one goal. He would approach us all, vying for our honour, gaining strength and power with each new soul he corrupts."

"He's pretty powerful as it is," I counter. I smile wryly, having more control now over what happens. I turn and see that the new man is Berek. A subdued, quiet man regarding the guild, he has always reminded me of a sober Friar Tuck, secreted away in the upper floors of the guild hall, behind some massive desk.

"I apologize for my lateness, but I wanted to watch how you handled yourself with... our friend." The last was said with a slight touch of a sneer. I see his mind begin to wander, as if going back to the day that he faced the dark man. His eyes turn to the ground and his strength seems to wane slightly. Snapping back to attention all of a sudden, he begins to speak: "It's somewhere beyond honour, in the realm of aiding the King and his court directly. If there is a problem within the realm, such as some rift within the fabric of space, a visionary would be the type to be attuned sufficiently to it, and report it. That way, you are aiding all of us indirectly, in a quieter manner. It makes the whole experience here in the Three Kingdoms more enjoyable for all of us."

I am bewildered for a moment, as this does not seem to correlate with the other replies I have received. And yet, I respect Berek's wisdom, as it is infinitely greater than mine.

My head begins to throb for a moment, as if there is something tragically wrong, some person I should be talking to, yet who cannot reach me. The pain deepens until it consumes my entire being and I drop to my knees. Eyes clenched tightly and tears beginning to well up, a shudder runs through me. In an instant, the pain moves to my heart alone. I can feel someone there, watching me, but as I throw up my urgent gaze, the three men have left me alone. I know someone is there, standing with me, feeling sorrow and helplessness. I can feel him, his pity, his love, his caring. But he tells me somewhere within my mind that he cannot come to me, cannot share his knowledge with me. There is some strange force holding him back, he cannot break through as did Again.

Just as the pain mounts so tremendously that my vision begins to fade, it is gone as quickly as it came... and so is he who watched over me.

"Doing all right there, Saf?" asks a familiar voice.

I nod my head slowly, not wanting to jar the pain loose again. I regain my balance, and move back to the kneeling position in front of the altar. My breath is still short after that last episode, and my thinking has become hazy again. I am back within the dream again. I can feel the cool chill of the mist around me. The silent music of my heart begins to beat out its familiar tune and I become in sync with myself once more.

"I think that those who achieve Visionary status are all about a vision of what a knight should be," whispers Riptide. Close personal friend, he can tell that my head cannot handle loud words, or the noogies he is so eager to give me all the time. "Someone who exemplifies all the knight standards to an extreme: bravery, courage, wit, humility in action, pride in the guild, and player ability. It's tall order to fill, but it can be done. It's beyond being good or great, it's somewhere around amazing, like me ;)." He grins at me, as I stifle a laugh that I know would hurt. He places a hand on my back and wishes me well, then wanders off into the darkness beyond my vision.

I hear a slightly shy chuckle come from the other side of the altar. I blink a few times against the light he brings. Alhambra stands before me, small grin upon his face, head downturned as always, but his eyes look toward me with unknown wisdom.

"Finally made it this far, I see. That's good, I'm impressed. Because, you know what? I've been thinking about this question of your's a lot."

I smile as he begins to launch into what feels like it's about to be an oration, without any prompting from myself.

"You see, I was a Visionary myself for quite a long time, and a lot of people came to me like you are doing now, wanting to know the secret. You see, a Visionary is a knight who goes above and beyond, anyone who is outwardly committed to the guild. A person who's inspiring to others -- someone who doesn't generate friction, a king of person who doesn't have a single bad thing in the guild file but has a lot of good things in there, and some good stats, too. It's a tall order when you try to put it into words, but there are always candidates out there it seems, so it's not impossible... I've put in some recommendations to the King and his court, but when it all comes down to it, it's their decision. So, I guess, what I believe makes a Visionary may not be right. But, it's the closest guess I can wager.

"Hmm.... now that I think about it... you wanted to know what it means, as opposed to how it is attained." He furrows his brow a moment, not knowing how to answer this slightly skewed question of mine. "They are undeniably intertwined. Anyway, what it means to me, I guess, is that your efforts in regards to the qualities I mentioned have been recognized by the King and his court, and by extension, fellow guild members." He scrunches up his face at me, "Did that make sense?"

I grin briefly and nod to him. He returns with a smile.

A faint trumpet can be heard in the distance, and Alhambra turns to leave. I can almost hear him whisper something about the real answers coming as he vanishes from sight.

As my eyes finally lose their grasp on him, time begins to slow for me. My heart almost stops beating, and I knew that my husband approaches. I feel a light kiss upon my cheek, seemingly jolting my heart back to normal.

"It means you have gone beyond the basic calls of the guild, that you have a vision of the guild being sooo great and undefeatable that it's not the powers that make the guild great, but rather the people and what they do to make the guild powerful." He starts and stops quickly, and I shake my head a moment to assume myself that he actually spoke to me. Well, that's Timescape: to the point. I keep my head down in prayer, but giggle slightly as he finishes.

"Well," he retorts, "If you really want to know, ask Tiro. You know I like to keep mysteries, even from you, dear." He snaps his fingers with a grin, and spins his arms about in a pinwheel fashion, and he is gone.

The chapel is quiet for long moments, leaving me to reflect on all that I have been told. I can't come to any conclusions, other than that it is something deep within, that some have and some don't. I don't think it's something that can be learned, nor is it something to feel sorrow over not achieving. As to what it really means, I can't say. And so I wait patiently for Tiro, and my truest answer.

A strong presence enters the room, and finally, before me stands Tiro. Wizard Guild Master, former Knight Guild Master, and the last stop on my journey for knowledge. I look to him with eager eyes, trusting that he will be the one to answer me true and full. Yet, as his gaze meets mine, he slowly shakes his head.

"So, you have finally made it this far..." he smiles briefly. I look into his battle-hardened face and deep into his eyes. Break the gaze, he stares at the translucent altar before which I kneel in homage. He rests a heavy hand on it, he stops, frozen in time like one of the statues.

A sad look comes over him, darkening the room. His arms come out before him, as if he held the secret to the Universe within them. He looks to his left, his right, and behind me before he speaks.

"Have you not looked around? The answers are right here." His shoulders slump. "I put all of my knowledge into this chapel, it tells all the stories that I can. If you want to know what the dark path is about, go to that altar on your right. If you want to know what the light path is about, go to that altar on your left. If you want to know what Visionary is, look at this one right here. This chapel is all about Knighthood and it's great moments. Follow the examples of the statues, and the wisdom on the altars."

He brightens for a moment, "And talk to the others, those that have been there in the past. Talk to those that know the answers. It's a hard question, and no one will give you all the answers. Just keep your eyes open and watch those that are worth watching. That's all that I can tell you. That's really all that anyone can tell you."

With a smile and a nod, he disappears, leaving me alone once more in the chapel. I feel empty, devoid of an answer after hearing Tiro's words. I kneel moments longer, considering his words. I found no great wisdom in them as Timescape had lead me to believe I would find.

And then a great revelation came upon me: that which Tiro had told me truly was the great wisdom for which I had undergone my visionquest. The answers were not in any one member's words, but in their actions, and in the stories of the past. I reflected upon the stories that Doran would tell me of Gama and the vision that he held. Or of the days before Tiro ascended to wizship. Or the stories of darker knights, who no doubt were a part of the dark man in my quest. All of the secrets of the guild are within each of us, in so many shapes and forms that we will never know them all.

Perhaps the true Visionary can see into each member and find that special fire to ignite. Perhaps someday, if I am ever deemed worthy, I will be able to actually know the answer. Or maybe that's the whole secret to the Visionary class -- that no one really knows what it's all about.

To Part One.

Last updated: July 28, 2000
Comments, questions, and general email to Janet O'Neil.

Thanks to: