"What's your name?" I asked the girl who had found me.
"Kris'te." She replied.
"Pretty name." I said. "For a pretty girl." She lowered her head and blushed. I placed my hand under her chin and gently lifted her face upwards and looked into her eyes.
"There will be none of that." I said with a chukle. She smiled. "Take me to the others." I said.
We walked into the innards of the town to the Council building. We entered a room, an antechamber of sorts, and there sat about 12 people of varying guilds and ranks.
"Master Nos'nih!" Exclaimed one. It was my old friend Nalrac of the Guild of Writers.
"Master Nalrac!" I replied. "So good to see you old friend." I looked around the room and surveyed the room. There was Master Telanis of the Linguist Guild. Someone I did not know in a yellow Musicians Guild cloak, Master Jovaris of the Guild of Writers and several others. Including one from the Guild of Books. We can rebuild D'ni with this.
"Shorah everyone." I said. I got several replies...some hearty, some weak.
Master Telanis rose from his seat and addressed me. "Nos'nih, welcome friend. We are the few remaining D'ni. We are the D'ni Circle. We are few, but together we will rebuild D'ni."
"Yes.....That we will." I replied.


As we sat around the table, writing ages, I glanced over at Kris'te, busily working on restoring her family age which was slightly damaged. I glanced around the room at the others. They were all at work writing in there ages....


Daybreak the next day.....
"Good Morning Master Nalrac.." I said as I stepped into the room to find Nalrac awake and making a morning meal.
"I'm afraid this is all I can scrape together old friend...not much food left." He replied.
"Anything will do..as long as there is enough for everyone." I said, I sat down at the table, an everpresent book in my hand.
"Put that away...you'll get food on it..and we dont have many books left." I heard a pleasant female voice whisper in my ear. I looked up, there was Kris'te dressed in bright blue robe.
"Guildmaster?" I asked tentatively..
"Yes." Kris'te replied. "Telanis made me Guildmaster because I'm the only surveyer so far.."
"Hmm..that makes sense..Congratulations."
"Thank you.."
Nalrac chuckled softly to himself.
"What?" I asked.
"You treat her as if she is worthy of the title not because she got it because she's the only one left alive." Nalrac sneered.
"She is worthy of the title!" I exclaimed as a shocked look spread across Kris'te's face. I turned back to Nalrac with a shocked look on my face. I couldn't believe he had just said that. I turned back to Kris'te but she was gone. "Now see what you've done!" I glared at Nalrac. "There are so few of us left..we cannot afford to have everyone fighting among themselves.."
"Ok..peace friend.." Nalrac held up his hands in a gesture of peace.
"Peace."
I left to go find Kris'te..she was in her quarters.
"Kris'te?" I asked quietly from her door..
"What?" She replied with tears in her voice.
"I want to apoligize for what Nalrac said back there..he sometimes lets his tongue get the best of him." I said, hoping she could forgive him.
"It's ok..he's right though, I dont deserve it." She said with tears in her voice.
"No! You do deserve it!!!"
Kris'te broke into tears softly and I decided it was best if I leave her be for the time being. I walked back into the kitchen where Nalrac was...But he was gone. So i tried the study. There I found Master Ti'ana.
"Where is Nalrac...and everyone else for that matter?" I asked her.
"Nalrac and Telanis went to test and age to see if it was stable..as for the others I don't know." She replied.
"Are you sure thats safe?" I asked, concerned.
"As far as I know...they know what there doing.." She replied.
"I hope they do.......... I hope they do...."


The next day.....

Telanis walked into the room and tossed a big dustcovered book onto the table in the commons room. "Your a chemist Nos'nih, what do you know about ink-making?"
"Well.." I started, "My great great grandfather Nos'nih, for whom I am named was an Ink-Maker. Thats about it."
"Well read up.. we need an Ink-maker, we have plenty of writers and a couple book makers but no ink makers.. so since your the only one with a good chemistry background..go for it." Telanis told me. It didnt seem I had much of a choice, and so thats how I sorta became and Ink-Maker.


A short while later....
I stepped up to the great wooden door with a bit of awe. In gold on the door was the seal of the Guild of Ink-Makers. The Ink-Makers guild building. I pulled on the handle and the door swung open with surprising ease. I stepped inside and gazed at the grand entrance hall, complete with tapestries depicting ink making and a huge mosiac on the floor of the Ink-Makers seal. Fire marble lamps hanging from the walls burn brightly showing off the deep royal purple plush carpet. I walked down the hall and stopped at the base of a grand staircase. I gazed upwards for what seemed like forever...the steps were very wide, almost enough to hold 10 D'ni abreast. The centers of the steps dipped down a little like molten wax that had rehardened, due to the thousands that had walked up and down them.
I looked to the left and saw a set of wooden double doors. I stepped up to them and pushed them open leading into a great meeting hall.
I then looked to the right and saw a brightly lit hallway. I travelled down it and came to a small room at the end of the hallway. I pulled open the door and found a long room full of lab tables covered in test tubes and ink pots. Many experiments were left half done on the tables. Apparently people had been in here working when the destruction befell D'ni. On one table I saw a large leather bound book similar to the one Telanis had given me. The Chemistry of Ink-Making it had emblazoned on the cover. This could prove useful. I tucked the book away into satchel as well as several of the test tubes and empty ink pots. As I turned to leave.. I saw a small door in the corner. "Hmm..I wonder where that leads?" I said to myself. I stepped into the room and was greeted with the site of a huge machine with all kinds of gears and pulleys, yet only one lever. I figured I had nothing to lose, so I pulled the lever to see what the machine does and much to my surprise, after a good bit of churning and bubbling, the machine opened up at the bottom and presented me with a freshly filled jar of ink. I tucked the jar away in my pack and pulled the lever again to get another jar. Atleast we have this much until I figure out how to make the ink.

"Nos'nih! Welcome back!" I was greeted by Kris'te as I walked up the steps of the Common Library.
"Thank you." I smiled at her.
I stepped into the main chamber of the library and laid my pack down on the table infront of Telanis, who hadn't looked up till then.
"Ahh Nos'nih" He smiled at me. "I see you brought back something from the Ink Makers Guild building."
"Yes I did" I replied, pulling the test tubes and ink pots out of my satchel, "Including some ink." I placed the two pots of ink on the table in front of Telanis. I saw a fire light up in his eyes.
"How much ink is left?" He asked me, growing more excited with each word.
"I believe the ink machine is still full. However long that will last us." I replied.