Subject: [FFML] The Three Magic Knights[Part 13][MKR]
From: Ryoga P Hibiki
Date: 10/22/2000, 10:23 PM
To: ffml@fanfic.com

 The Three Magic Knights

 Part 13

 Illusionary reality.
 
 Askot followed behind Caldina as she jumped through the trees of the
forest. He struggled to keep up with her pace despite the floating rock
that he rode on and called after her.

 "Caldina! Wait!" he weaved around bushes and stones on the ground as he
followed desperately behind the woman.

 "What is it?" she said as she jumped down beside him finally tiring of
his cries.

 "Are you really going to fight the Magic Knights again?" said the boy
with a fearful look in his eyes.

 "Of course! Don't you worry your pretty little head none! I'll defeat
those girls so you can come back to the castle!" said the woman
cheerfully.

 "No! Just leave them alone! I don't want you to die!" pleaded the boy as
he pulled on her cape.

 "Now Askot! Don't you know better than that? I know what I'm doing,"
chastised Caldina as she pulled her cloak away.

 "You don't understand! That man with them is getting worse!" exclaimed
the boy with tears in his eyes.

 "Now that's enough out of you!" cried the woman as she slapped him
across his face without much force. "Look at yourself! Quivering because
of a bunch of little girls! Have I ever let you down before now?"

 Askot paused and looked up at her with a stern and shocked face. "It's
not those girls I'm worried about."

 Caldina snorted and turned her attention to a nearby clearing. "There
they are! Askot, you wait here while I take care of this! Don't worry
now!" She jumped away leaving him alone on the ground.

 "Caldina no!" he whimpered reaching for her. He stood up and looked at
the four knights as they rested by a waterfall nearby. With a final
glance he turned away and disappeared into the forest.


-------------------

 Dan frowned as the three girls washed their faces in the water nearby.
He was standing under the waterfall cooling off and washing away the mud
and dirt that covered his body and the blade attached to his arm. "Look
at them, happy just being able to wash their faces."

 "That's right Mr. Dan!" agreed Hikaru excitedly. "You look pretty
cheerful yourself under that waterfall."

 "Isn't that cold?" asked Fuu with a slight hesitation in her voice.

 "I can't put my sword away like you girls can. I have to take any
opportunity to clean it off. Besides, I stink." He stepped away from the
fall and shook his head off throwing water in every direction.

 "He's got a point," agreed Umi as she pinched her nose.

 "You three don't exactly smell like flowers yourselves," snorted the boy
a little angrily. He stepped up next to them and sat down on the ground.

 "The water is so clear here!" said Umi as she looked around her at the
scenery.

 "Yes, it's very nice," agreed Fuu.

 "Shouldn't we be moving?" asked Dan impatiently. He stood up and noticed
something was missing. "Where the hell is the rat?"

 "I wish you'd speak more politely Mr. Dan," commented Fuu in slight
disgust.

 "I have to put up with your annoying habits and you have to put up with
mine," retorted the boy as he glanced around in search of their guide.

 Mokona appeared from behind several bushes and puued cheerfully.

 "There he is!" said Hikaru.
 
 "Guess even he has to take a dump on occasion," commented Dan. It earned
him a glare from Fuu and he smirked at her indicating that it was his
intent to annoy her.

 "Jerk!" muttered the girl as she turned away from him with a blush on
her cheeks.

 Mokona puued again and pointed off in a random direction. Dan spoke up
before any of the girls could respond and started walking in the
direction the animal had indicated. "This way. He wants us to follow
him."

 Mokona chimed in agreement and started to hop away.

 "Yeah! Let's go get the third Rune God!" cried Hikaru as she rushed
after him; the other two quickly followed her.

--------------------

Dan emerged from a patch of bushes just behind Mokona and paused. They
were standing on a small cliff that overlooked a mountain range. In the
sky was a familiar formation of crystals that protruded from the surface
of a small floating island.

 The three girls emerged behind him and stopped as well. 

 "That's the mountain in the sky from before!" exclaimed Umi.

 "Yeah!" agreed Hikaru.

 Fuu turned towards Mokona and spoke to him. "Are you telling us we need
to get there?"

 Mokona gave an affirmative nod and puued happily.

 The three girls shrieked in shock.

 "And just how in the world are we supposed to get over there?" cried Umi
angrily.

 "Yes, the flying capsule was destroyed," pointed out Fuu.

 "That's easy," commented Dan lazily. "We go up." He pointed to the side
of a nearby mountain.

 "Have you forgotten that there are mountains between here and there?"
screamed Umi as she rushed up to him. She was stopped cold as she found a
blade pointed at her chest. 

 "No. What's the matter? Afraid a little exercise is going to kill you?"
said the boy with a dangerous calm about him.

 "Yes!" retorted the girl as she backed away from him. "We could fall, or
be crushed under falling rocks!"

 "Then we'll die," said the boy as he lowered the blade.

 "How can you be so calm about this?" asked Fuu as she tentatively
stepped up to him.

 "How can you be so upset about a little work? We've been through far
worse," he started walking and left the trio standing behind.

 "He is right you know," said Hikaru as she started after him.

 "Traitor!" raged Umi as she reluctantly started after her. Fuu went with
her silently.

-------------------

 Caldina paused as the group came into her view again. They were walking
up a trail on the side a mountain. "Looks like they're heading for that
mountain in the sky," she told herself. "I'll get em for sure this time!"
She jumped towards the girls laughing to herself as she followed close
behind them making her way up the rocks.

-------------------

 Hikaru turned from climbing up the side of the mountain and looked down
below her. Dan was just behind her slightly to her right, while Umi and
Fuu were struggling to climb a fair distance below them. "Hey! Come on,
what's taking you guys so long?"

 "All that soft living in Tokyo that's what," commented Dan as he passed
by her and continued to climb.

 "Where do they get all of this energy?" wondered Umi as she stopped and
rested against the rocky surface of the mountain.

 "I don't know, but I wish I had that kind of energy!" gasped Fuu.

 Finally they reached a cliff near the top of the peak. Hikaru was
looking over the mountainside at the scenery below in wonder. "You guys
have got to see this!" 

 Umi and Fuu looked up in surprise and walked over beside her. The view
was breathtaking. They could see miles into the distance around them.

 "My!" exclaimed Fuu in wonder.

 "We've seen this place before from the sky!" said Umi cheerfully.

 "I'm sure it would be even more beautiful if there were nothing wrong
with Princess Emerad," commented Fuu.

 Mokona chimed an agreement and nodded in Hikaru's arms. She looked out
over the scene and smiled. "I wonder what Cipher was like, before any of
this happened?"

 A small pebble hit Hikaru on top of her head and she blinked in surprise
looking up. Dan was climbing higher on the mountainside and glaring down
at them.

 "Are you going to stand there and look at the scenery all day? Come on!
We've got a long way to go yet!"

 "Mr. Dan! Don't you have any feelings at all! Look at this beautiful
view!" cried Umi.

 "We can look at the scenery after we get the Rune God!" retorted the boy
without turning to look at them as he continued to climb.

 The girls started to move towards the wall of rock again, but paused as
a strange pleasant scent was carried on a breeze to them.

 "What's that fragrance?" said Hikaru.

 "Hmmm! It smells good!" Umi sniffed the air and sighed.

 "Do you think it might be a flower?" asked Fuu.

 Another pebble hit Fuu in her head and she turned to glare at the boy as
he looked down at them with a scowl on his face. "Stop and smell the
roses late ... " His voice trailed off and he stopped his climb suddenly.
"What's that mist?" he muttered to himself noticing a light pink haze
that the girls were standing in.

 "I feel strange," said Hikaru as she held her head and swooned for a
moment. The other three girls seemed to react in the same way as the mist
dissipated from around them.

 "I feel dizzy!" said Fuu as she struggled for a moment.

 "It started so suddenly! What could it be?" agreed Umi.

 Dan watched the scene with a scowl on his face and relaxed his grip on
the rock surface. "What's going on down there?" He briefly began to
wonder if another opportunity to rid himself of his unwanted companions
was about to occur. Something wasn't sitting right in his stomach about
the situation though. He started down the side of the mountain and
watched the girls as he went.

 The three girls shrieked in shock, as the ground seemed to shake beneath
them, suddenly becoming unstable. 

 "What's going on? The ground is moving so violently!" cried Fuu. 

 All three girls screamed as boulders began to fall from above directly
on top of them.

 Dan jumped down as he neared the group and saw that they were moving
dangerously close to the edge of the cliff. He raised his blade and
smiled as he descended, aiming for the breaking point on the ground
below. "I have you!" he cried triumphantly. Something in the back of his
mind snapped into gear as he realized he had no idea what was happening,
or why they were acting the way they were.

 As he reached the ground the three tumbled off the edge of the cliff. He
dove forward and reached out catching one of them by her arm. He felt
himself jerk forward as she slammed into the side of the mountain and
slid towards the edge until his torso was hanging off the ledge. He
strained under the weight and momentum of the girl and finally came to a
stop. She was still screaming and jerking around violently.

 "Stop moving!" he growled through his teeth. Suddenly she jerked to a
stop and he looked at what he was doing. "What the? Why did I?" He looked
down and saw Umi staring him in the eyes with a look of complete terror
on her face. She hung in the air with nothing to grab or hold onto but
his arm.

 "Please! Don't drop me!" she cried desperately.

 Dan frowned and stared her dead in the face. Slowly he allowed his grip
to loosen on her wrist. "I could just ... " He started to smile again and
the girl's eyes went wide.

 "No!"

 "But then I'd never know what was going on," he snorted in disgust and
gripped her wrist once again pulling her up with him.

 Umi gasped for her breath and curled up into a ball as tears fell down
her face. "I thought you were going to drop me!" She shuddered as sobs
overcame her and simply lay where she was.

 Dan glared at her angrily, uncertain of what to do. His left arm flexed
and he looked down over her moving the blade jerkily. "All it would take
is one good cut," his mind told him. "Strike hard and fast, she'll never
know what happened." He forced the urges down and knelt beside her.

 "Tell me what happened. Why did you jump off the cliff?"

 She jumped up into his arms grabbing his neck in a desperate hug. "I
could have died! Thank you!"

 He stopped with a look of shock on his face and froze. "What the? Listen
girl, we don't have time for this right now!" He pushed her back and
stood up.

 "OHMYGOD! Hikaru! Fuu! We have to find them!" she cried desperately as
she jumped up to her feet and started down the mountainside.

 "Hey! Tell me what happened damn it!" cried Dan as he followed her.

-----------------

 At the base of the mountain Hikaru and Fuu slowly stood up. "What
happened?" asked Fuu as she glanced around. She rubbed her head and
pulled her hand away in shock as she found a spot of blood where she had
landed.

 "We're alive!" cried Hikaru in shock.

 The ground began to shake beneath them again and the pair fell to their
knees again. "It's an illusion!" said Hikaru as she realized what was
going on.

 "What do you mean?" said Fuu.

 "I just felt a rock hit my head!"

 "There are no rocks or boulders lying on the ground around us," noticed
Fuu.

 "It sure feels real!" snapped the redhead as she tried to stand again
and failed.

 "It would seem that knowing this is an illusion isn't enough to help us
at the moment."

 The two girls looked up and cried out in fear as the trees at the edge
of the forest began to fall towards them. Hikaru remained where she was
with a look of determination on her face. "If all of this is really just
an illusion ... "

 "Miss Hikaru!" cried Fuu as she realized her friend had not yet moved.

 The trees slammed into the ground seeming to crush the girl where she
stood. After a moment they vanished into thin air around her leaving her
untouched.

 "I was right!" cried the girl triumphantly as she stood again. She was
promptly thrown back to the ground as the earth started to shake again.

 "Miss Hikaru! Where are Miss Umi and Mr. Dan?" cried Fuu in alarm.

 "What? They aren't here?" The girl stopped and realized her two friends
were absent.

 "Perhaps they didn't fall off the cliff?" reasoned Fuu.

 "That must be it! Come on! We've got to get out of here! We're sitting
ducks in this mess!" The redhead stood again and started towards a nearby
cave.

 "Good thinking Miss Hikaru! Perhaps we will find shelter inside that
cave!" 

-------------------

 Caldina watched the scene with a smirk on her face. "They ran into the
cave! Just what I wanted, my illusory incense works well." She laughed to
herself and started after the girls. "Only two though. I'll have to keep
an eye out for those other Magic Knights. They'll be much easier to get
rid of if they're separated."

-------------------------

 Dan and Umi reached the foot of the mountain where the girls had landed.

 
 "Where are they?" said Umi as she glanced around. "I don't see any of
those boulders either."

 "Boulders? What boulders?" said Dan in confusion.

 "The ones that fell on us! They had to pass by you ... " she trailed off
and looked at him in shock. "You threw those boulders at us?"

 "I don't know what the hell you're talking about! No boulders fell on
top of you! You just started screaming and tumbling around for no reason.
That's why I came down after you."

 "No boulders? What kind of idiot do you think I am?" snapped the girl as
she jumped back and slowly reached for the jewel on her wrist.

 "Shut up, I've found something," said Dan as he kneeled on the ground in
front of her. "Tracks, these must belong to Hikaru and Umi, but there's
another set. These are two big for either of those two." He felt himself
smirking as he noticed a small spot of blood on the ground. "This is
where they landed all right."

 "But, there's no rocks!" cried Umi. She looked around nervously.

 "I already told you, there were no rocks," snapped the boy. "Come on,
we're going after them. I think I know what's going on." He stood upright
and started to follow the footprints.

 "Hey! Aren't you going to tell me?" cried Umi as she rushed after him.

 "No."

-----------------------

 Hikaru and Fuu kneeled at the edge of the cavern and clutched at their
bellies. "I don't feel so good," said the redhead.

 "The ground moving has made me ill as well," agreed Fuu.

 "Someone's using all these dangerous illusions! Whoever it is doesn't
want us to reach the second Rune God."

 "Yes, we should remain alert. Zagato's minions could be near by, or even
be causing this!"

 A familiar voice called to them from within the cavern. "Welcome,
legendary magic knights! Can you hear me? It is me!"

 Hikaru jumped in recognition. "I know that voice!"

 A small light formed ahead of them and they started forward into the
cavern. After a few moments a bright light blinded them and the looked at
their surroundings in wonder. 

 "Master Mage Clef!" cried the two girls as they recognized the man
before them instantly.

 The pair found themselves standing inside a large room within the
cavern. It seemed like a small temple of sorts. More shocking was the
presence of the diminutive man before them.

 "What are you doing here? I thought Zagato turned you to stone!" cried
Hikaru as she rushed up to him.

 "It would take more than the likes of Zagato to stop me. Anyway, I've
got important news for you. Princess Emerad would like the pleasure of
meeting you."

 The two girls blinked in surprise at this. 

 "Yeah, but ... Isn't Princess Emerad still under Zagato's imprisonment?"
asked Hikaru.

 "No, I have rescued her. She would like to personally request that you
save Cepheiro."

 "This is great! It means that the princess is doing well!" cried Hikaru.

 "It seems a little strange to me," said Fuu.
 
 "Huh?" Hikaru paused and looked at her friend.

 "It all seems to easy," said the girl suspiciously.

 "Please, this way," said Cleff as he created another passage in the wall
with his staff.

 The two girls walked by him and he remained behind. Neither of the girls
noticed him close his eyes and smile to himself as they passed. He
chuckled to himself and re-opened his eyes again revealing two rings of
gold where they had once been blue. "I wonder where Dan is? I'm sure
he'll be along shortly. That Caldina has impressed me though, it really
is a well thought out illusion, let's see what happens if it's more than
that shall we?" He waved the now very different looking staff in the air
and smirked to himself.

------------------

 Just behind the girls Caldina walked up and gasped at what she saw.
"What are you doing here?"

 "Me? Nothing really," said Xellos as he turned from what he was doing
and smiled at her.

 "I told you I don't need your help!" snapped the woman.

 "Your monster Illusions are of no real use to me. I decided to make the
danger a bit more real, that's all."

 Caldina snorted in anger and started to walk past him. "Stay out of my
business!" She was stopped as he barred her passage with his staff.

 "Apparently you don't understand my dear. To go forward any more would
be dangerous. Even for you." He winked at her and faded into the shadows.


 Caldina paused and looked at the cavern as it stretched out before her.
She shuddered as she suddenly realized that she was no longer controlling
anything within the cave. "He broke my illusion? How? No one can do that!
It's impossible!" She slowly backed away as a low growl emanated from
within the darkness. "Somehow I think I should leave." She turned to run,
but stopped cold as something sharp poked her in the chest.

 "Going somewhere? The fun is just starting," said Dan with a dangerous
grin on his face. Umi stood next to him with a scowl burned into her
features as she drew the weapon from her wrist jewel.

-----------------------

 Hikaru and Fuu walked into the cavern and gasped at what they saw.
Emerad was standing before them with two guards on either side of her.
She smiled at them warmly and opened her mouth. Only to vanish into thin
air before she could speak.

 "What? What's going on here?" cried Hikaru as she pulled her sword from
her wrist.

 Fuu moved into a defensive position as well and slowly moved closer to
her comrade. "It would appear that we've been tricked."

 "What sort of cave is this?" said the redhead as she glanced around.
Thousands of reflections of her and Fuu stared back at her from the
mirror-covered walls.

 "I do not know, but perhaps we should turn back. It would seem that this
is a trap."

 Hikaru was about to agree when she suddenly screamed in pain. Fuu turned
and gasped as she saw her friend fly across the room and land roughly on
the ground with three claw like marks across her back. She slowly looked
up and saw a large lizard like creature standing in the doorway with its
claws spread wide. It hissed menacingly and slowly stalked forward.

 "What is this thing? Miss Hikaru, are you all right?"

 The redhead was slowly rising to her feet with her sword held ready.
"I'll be fine, we have to beat this thing in order to escape!"

 "Right!" Fuu rushed forward and slashed at the monster. She screamed as
her blade passed through its body harmlessly. It snorted and raised its
knee slamming into her gut and sending her sprawling on the ground winded
badly. She lay there struggling for breath and it started towards her.

 "Fuu no! Flame Arrow!" cried Hikaru as she shot a spell at the creature
and saw it pass through it. The fire spell hit one of the mirrored
surfaces and bounced back towards her. She screamed and ducked in shock
as it passed over her head and ricocheted several times before finally
hitting the ground. 

 The thing paused and glanced at Hikaru for a moment. Fuu rolled away
from it during the distraction and managed to stager into a defensive
position. "It would appear that neither magic, nor weapons will be able
to defeat it."

 "What are we going to do?" cried Hikaru. The lizard thing jumped forward
and backhanded her in the face silencing her. She staggered back to her
feet just in time to see Fuu take a slash on her shoulder drawing blood.

 "We must think of something quickly!" cried the blonde girl as she stood
with her back to Hikaru.

 "I've got an idea! If all this is an illusion..." She ducked a swipe and
the pair jumped away from each other. "Quick! Close your eyes!"

 "What?" cried Fuu as she jumped away.

 "Just do it!" screamed the girl. Both did so, and immediately regretted
it. The thing swiped at them again and both were sent flying into the
walls.

 "What the heck is that thing?" cried a new voice from inside the room.
Caldina stepped back and was poked in the back by Dan's blade forcing her
to jump forward again. "Hey, watch it with that thing!"

 Dan eyed the creature carefully. It was rubbing two spots on its belly
in irritation and glancing back at the new group. Hikaru and Fuu were
both leaning against the mirror like walls of the cavern in a somewhat
beaten state. "You don't know what that is? This is your trap isn't it?"

 Caldina growled and glanced back at him. "No. I didn't have anything to
do with this room."

 "Keep your eyes forward illusionist," snorted the boy in disgust. He
poked her again and she jumped forward.

 Umi rushed by him suddenly. "Fuu! Hikaru! Are you all right?" she cried
as she ran into the room with her weapon drawn.

 "Miss Umi, watch out!" said the blonde as she struggled to stand and
warn her friend.

 The blue haired girl slashed at the monster and gasped in shock as she
passed right through it. The thing slashed at her back creating three
deep cuts and she bounced against the floor from the impact of the blow.

 Caldina instantly realized something was wrong. "I shouldn't be able to
see those wounds! That's no illusion!"

 Dan looked at her and raised his eyebrow. "Oh really? Lets find out
shall we?" He poked her sharply in her rear and she jumped forward
screeching in pain. A little too late she realized that she had jumped
towards the creature. It snagged her out of the air and threw her
effortlessly over its shoulder. She slammed into the wall and collapsed
on the ground unconscious. 

 "Well, this is certainly interesting," commented Dan as he stepped
forward and lit a cigarette.

 The thing was standing silently and clutching its head in pain. It
hissed angrily and turned towards the boy.

 "I don't think so ugly. You have to finish your dinner before you can
have dessert." He pointed towards the fallen girls with his sword and
smiled.

 The creature ignored him and charged forward. Dan sidestepped the blow
and slashed through the thing's body.

 "No! That won't work ... " muttered Hikaru weakly as she struggled to
rise again. She stopped and fell back to the ground in surprise as the
thing suddenly jumped in pain and clutched at a slash that appeared on
its back.

 Dan smiled and pulled his blade from one of the mirror like walls. He
had stabbed it with the sword on his arm and it shattered instantly. The
thing fell to its knees as another cut appeared on its body as he broke
yet another portion of the reflective wall.

 "I noticed you seemed irritated whenever something hit one of the walls.
You'd rub whatever spot your reflection had been hit in," said the boy
with a dark smile. "Why can't you monsters ever attack me after you've
finished with everyone else?" he thought angrily as he continued to hack
and slash at the walls around him. Each broken mirror left another deep
cut on the thing's body. It screamed in agony and rolled on the ground
leaving smears of blood all over the room as it writhed. Finally Dan
stood in front of the last mirror and slashed down cleaving the thing's
reflection on the neck. It let loose one more cry of pain and shuddered
as it died finally.

 "That was certainly messy," commented the boy as he wiped his blood
soaked boot on the thing's carcass.

 "Mr. Dan, you saved us again," said Fuu as she stood up shakily and
turned towards her friends. "I'll fix us up. Winds of healing!"

 The group was surrounded by the girl's magic, the cuts and battle scars
magically closed up leaving them feeling much better. Fuu was a little
weakened after the ordeal, but was not in near the condition she was in
before.

 "Come on, let's get moving before sleeping beauty wakes up," commented
Dan as he jerked his thumb towards the fallen Caldina.

 "Should we just leave her here?" said Hikaru with a look of worry
crossing her features.

 "I could kill her you know. Then you won't have to worry about her will
you?" snorted Dan.

 "No! Please don't kill another one of my friends!" cried a familiar
voice from the tunnel.

 The group turned to see Askot lying protectively over Caldina. He had
tears in his eyes and looked at Dan in complete terror.

 The boy looked over at him coolly and smirked. "So, that mirror beast
was your doing was it?"

 "No! That wasn't one of my friends!" said the boy as he cringed in fear.

 "Friends? He said something about that before. I wonder if he means
those monsters that keep attacking us?" said Fuu.

 "My friends aren't evil! They're my special friends and nobody else can
understand!" screamed the boy.

 "I don't care. If you want your friends to be safe, then stop having
them attack us. If you don't make them fight, they don't die; and I don't
have to kill you for doing it." Dan walked past the boy leaving him
draped over Caldina.

 "You murderer! I won't forgive you for killing my friends!" shouted the
boy after him.

 Dan paused and turned his head slightly. "I was fighting for my life.
Tell me. What were your friends fighting for?"

 "They were fighting cause I told em to!" replied the boy.

 "So, you tell me who the real murderer is," he continued to walk away.
The three girls watched the scene in shock and slowly began to follow Dan
out of the cave.

 Askot remained alone and began to cry as he beat the floor with his
fists. Caldina was still out cold and he was left to think about his
actions. "Damn him. Why does he have to be ... " his mouth couldn't find
the words to finish, but he knew that Dan was right. "My friends."

 He jumped to his feet as another familiar pair of boots appeared just in
front of him. "What do you want?"

 "Nothing, just checking up on things. I did warn her not to come in here
after all," Xellos smirked and sat down on one of the rocks that lined
the floor around him. "Ah well, at least she survived. It's more than I
expected."

 "Will she be all right?" said the boy tentatively as he crouched next to
her and stroked her hair.

 "She'll be a little sore, but otherwise she'll be fine," said the mage
as he stood up and started on his way.

 As Xellos walked out of the cave he smiled to himself. "Well Dan, you
certainly are full of surprises aren't you? I wonder why you saved that
girl?" He paused and took a final glance at the cavern behind him. "I
suppose that too shall be revealed in time." With that said he vanished
into the shadows.

TBC...

C&C to: Carrotglace@juno.com

URL Http://www.geocities.com/misatira/


-- .---Anime/Manga Fanfiction Mailing List---. | Administrators - ffml-admins@fanfic.com | | Unsubscribing - ffml-request@fanfic.com | | Put 'unsubscribe' in the subject | `---http://www.fanfic.com/FFML-FAQ.txt ---'