[h2]Jack Morgan, Julius Aldo, Sindibad Darude - Antagarich[/h2]

The Hunter-Chopper had finally managed to find dry land. Below it was a positively-massive island, decorated with winding lava flows and massive badlands. A number of small cities could be seen scattered throughout the island, surrounded by peaceful-looking grassland. Mobs of humanoids wandered around these grasslands, only occasionally crossing into the badlands to reach the other cities. Every so often, two of the mobs would clash, and one would annihilate the other. Almost mindless beings coming together solely to crush other mindless beings. Such was the state of the wars of Might and Magic.

Sindibad angled the Hunter-Chopper lower to the ground, to make picking out landmarks easier. At the moment, the Hunter-Chopper had absolute air superiority. Even a mighty dragon would find it difficult to bring it down without suffering heavily for it. Multiple dragons, however, would be problematic. Luckily, it seemed all the dragons were hovering mere feet above the ground, happily slaughtering and being slaughtered for their Heroes.

Jack Morgan stared out the Chopper's opened door wistfully. All this treasure was out there, and they needed to find only one. A slew of landmarks poked out from the contested land below, like lanterns in the dead of night. Ominous cottages, lumber mills, guard towers, sparkling lakes-- all of them ripe for the plundering, whether by Jack or by one of the armies rampaging across the island. Though it was a bright and clear day, Jack could see a bevy of beautiful rainbows scattered across the horizon. Rainbows that very clearly ended at a specific location.

Jack sensed treasure. The end of a rainbow always carried prizes, be they leprechauns or leprechauns' loot. If a shipwreck could carry treasure--unusual treasure, but treasure nonetheless--then the end of a rainbow carried a [i]lot[/i] of treasure!

"Sindibad, look at the rainbow!" Jack said, a gleam appearing in his eye yet again. "Set us down where it ends; I've got a good feeling about this one!"

[hr]

The Hunter-Chopper idly spun its rotors as, nearby, Jack Morgan blazed a trail through a thicket of vibrant bushes, their branches thick with sweet berries. Deep in the thicket, a brook gently babbled, fed by--sure enough-- the end of a rainbow. A small humanoid, decked in bright-green finery decorated with black and gold, smiled warmly at Jack's entrance. Without even waiting for Jack to speak, the humanoid addressed him.

"I know why you're here, my boy! You're looking for [i]artifacts[/i], aren't ya? Well, I've got myself a fancy little piece, for the right price," the leprechaun grinned impishly as he pulled a small amulet from the confines of his suit. The amulet was decorated with a miniature coffin, for whatever reason. The leprechaun spoke with a touch of awe brushing his voice. "the Amulet of the Undertaker. Guaranteed to make you a better Necromancer!"

Jack looked at the Amulet curiously. It wasn't the Pendant of Death, but it [i]might[/i] be a good gift for Xsi. It'd be useful for currying favor, whatever good that would do him. "Hey, sure! I'm always in the mood for... being a better necroguy. How much is it?"

The leprechaun's smile widened. "Only 2000 gold, my friend! At this price, it's a steal!" he said, very happily implying that it [i]was[/i] practically stealing, but not for the right reasons.

Jack glared at the leprechaun, but said nothing. Quietly, he pulled out a hand radio, and called in to Sindibad Darude.
[sub]"Hey, Sindibad... do we want to maintain good relations with this kingdom for very long?"[/sub]
"Uh, probably not. We only want good relations with Xsi."
[sub]"All I needed to hear. Thank you."[/sub]

Jack calmly slipped his radio back into his pack, pulled out a gun, and shot the leprechaun. Whistling pleasantly, he ransacked the leprechaun's still-warm body, and stole the Amulet of the Undertaker. [i]It was only a bad omen to shoot [i]unicorns[/i], right?[/i] he thought, as he stepped back into the helicopter.

"Well," Jack said, shrugging. "We didn't get the Pendant here, either. [i]But[/i], I did find a very nice amulet. It could be useful as a bargaining chip."

"Hey, that's all right!" Sindibad said, bringing the Hunter-Chopper up and out. "Maybe they'll like those [i]boots[/i] you got, too. Oh, and maybe we can get some [i]flowers[/i] and [i]wine[/i] just to seal the deal!"

"No need to be such a dick, Sindibad. These trips haven't been a total loss. If we're lucky, we'll find the Pendant soon. If not, we'll get some more loot to pawn off to the highest bidder and [i]then[/i] we can find the Pendant."

The Hunter-Chopper moved along. Where would it go next?