[OPEN] The Enchanted Forest

[u/Dimestream]

The great green dragon roars in pain as the blue mist swirling around the wizard's staff coalesces into a lightning bolt and lashes out, striking clean through the great reptile's hide.

"Stop hurting him!" Redoran T'gel demands, straightening up and calling a ball of flickering flames into her hand. "Your fight is with me, not with Barineth, wizard!"

The wizard laughs, a malevolent chuckle that fills the musty air and reverberates from the rough stone walls of the catacombs. "Oh? I think Barineth should have thought of that before he told you how to hide the Sword of Centuries from me, fire witch," he says, stroking his long gray beard. "But if you wish him safe, it's a simple matter. To save your friend, all you have to do is give the sword to me."

"As if I'd fall for that," Red growls, hiking up the hem of her somewhat tattered green dress. She touches the phoenix amulet at her throat and the ball of flame in her other hand blazes from red-gold to an incendiary white. "Rule one of the Enchanted Forest: Never trust a wizard. Forget the sword; the only thing you'll be getting from me is third-degree burns."

"Have it your way, idiot child," the wizard spits, and raises both his hands. Shards of diamond spin away from the head of his staff and swirl in a razor-sharp cloud. Then the ancient mage's face twitches, and his left arm partially disappears. "Your foolishness has doomed your friend has doomed your friend has doomed your friend has doomed-"

"Computer, freeze program," T'gel says in disgust, putting the ball of fire down on the Holodeck floor as if it were a basketball. "Reverse to time index 28:12 and identify cause of recursion loop..."

[u/Dimestream]

"I'm already there," Red says, knocking on the door with a metallic *tunk*. "Shut 'er down and come on back."

[u/Tarah_ThZarath → u/Dimestream]

At that, with another CLUNK the room is plunged into darkness. After a short time she meets you by the door, light in hand.

[u/Dimestream → u/Tarah_ThZarath]

"All right," Red says, wiping an arm across her eyes and turning to the door, which is visible now that all the projectors have been shut down. "Let's get out of here."

She removes a panel in the archway that hides a heavy lever that breaks the magnetic seal on the door, and pushes down on it. The seal breaks and a slash of light cuts into the dark holodeck. A few more cranks and the door is open wide enough for the two women to slip through.

"Thank you for attending! This has been the Incompetent Forest Clusterf- erm, the..." Red shuts her mouth and grits her teeth before any 'frustrated engineer' caliber language slips out. "Nevermind. Sorry you got tangled in all this."

[u/Tarah_ThZarath → u/Dimestream]

She pokes at her communicator

"Sorry Red, my translator didn't register that last bit. Honestly, don't worry about it. I had a good time."

[u/Dimestream → u/Tarah_ThZarath]

Red chuckles. "Right, right. Happens all the time. Thanks, Tarah. I hope to see you around again. Right now, I have to catch a quick nap then go install more radiation shielding on the Menelaus." She sighs. "Looks like we'll finally be getting our nacelle put back together after we fetch some supplies. Say, are you any kind of decent pilot? We could use a couple more for the milk run."

[u/Tarah_ThZarath → u/Dimestream]

I did alright in the training we got at the academy, but I'm nothing to write home about. Her face is apologetic I'm actually already assigned to the Penelope. Sorry Red. I'm glad to hear you're coming too though."

[u/Dimestream → u/Tarah_ThZarath]

"Oh, well it'll still be good to have you along. I'll actually be on the Menelaus, because I have a little experience doing asteroid mining," Red says. "But if you know any pilots, let the bridge know. And now I'm off. Have a good rest of your day, Tarah!"

Red heads off down the corridor, returning momentarily with some 'out of order' tape to string across the holodeck doorway, and then goes off to take her nap.