"To Msaka of Tarna," the letter began. "I am writing you to inform you of the events in Shapier. My examination of the elemental was successful, but the implications are potentially quite grave for you. It had been summoned by Jafar bin Abbakar, the owner of the gardens here in Shapier. This is not entirely surprising, as his magic is strongly attuned to the element of earth. It also explains the method by which he attacked caravans in the desert."

Msaka read on, his attention fully on the words that followed. "Unfortunately, Jafar fled when confronted. I have not been able to trace his whereabouts since, though I am quite certain that he is no longer within the lands of Shapier. I must urge caution when you choose to leave, as he may be planning revenge against you. As of now, his properties within Shapier are being held on the Sultan's orders, and will remain so until Jafar is brought to trial."

Msaka sighed. "Just what I need to have happen," he thought with annoyance. "A mad sorceror lurking somewhere waiting for me."

He continued to read. "Since I have no means to gain further information from the elemental, I have returned it to you in this package. Please use it with caution, as it can cause great harm if mishandled. Best wishes, Aziza."

Msaka folded the letter up and stared at the bag which still lay inside the box. It was, at least, a more suitable container for the thing than the vegetable sack had been. "So now I have two elementals," he thought. "Perhaps I should make two more enemies so I can complete the set." He smirked at the notion, then picked up the bag and set it on the table. At the very least, he figured he should ward it in the same manner he had done to the water elemental, just in case this Jafar possessed the magic to trace its whereabouts.

He performed the Ritual of Shielding over the earth elemental, which seemed to accept the enchantment as well as the water elemental had. That done, he sat down on the bed to ponder the implications of Aziza's letter further.

"Apparently she hasn't heard of the water elemenetal's theft yet, or she would have said something about it," he thought. "Unless she believed me responsible? But if she did, then surely she would not have sent the earth elemental back to me." He glanced at the box, still pondering the possibilities. "It's too bad there's no way to know how long this took to get here."

He suddenly blinked, as another thought hit him. Distracted as he had been by the package's arrival and contents, he'd completely overlooked a possible use for the thing. It would take ages for Shapier's people to tunnel down to the underground rivers, but what about the earth elemental? "Surely it could..." he began, then interrupted his own thought as he bolted up from the bed and snatched up the bag again. He strode quickly out of his room, closing the door with more force than was probably necessary, then rushed rapidly down the hallway and through the dining area, drawing startled looks from the innkeeper and many of the diners.

He exited the inn at an equally hurried pace, half slamming the door behind him in his haste. He broke into a jog and crossed the plaza to the street, formulating the directive he would give the elemental as he went. The street was lit only by the lamps along it, the daylight having long ago faded away. Msaka realized as he hurried along that sacrificing the earth elemental in this manner was probably a good move in another way - if the city's water was restored, there would be less worry over the whereabouts of the water elemental, which might make getting out of the city with it easier.

As he burst into the fountain plaza, he deliberately slowed his pace, not wanting to cause any alarm among those present, especially the guard standing watch near the fountain. With carefully measured steps, he paced up towards the edge of the fountain.

"Effendi, you will have to look elsewhere for water," the guardsman declared, gesturing towards the "Out of Order" sign hanging from the side of it. "A thief has stolen the magical water elemental which provided for us." The guard's tone was polite, but the way he was stating the obvious suggested that he was, perhaps, not the sharpest claw on the hand.

"I'm not here for water," Msaka snapped back, then realized the harsh tone in which he'd spoken. "I've found a way to get your water back," he continued in a more relaxed fashion. It would hardly do to be barred from the fountain by offending the guard.

"You have found the water elemental!?" the guard asked incredulously.

"No, but I have something else that may work just as well," Msaka said, untying the bag.

"Effendi, the fountain may not be tampered with. It is enough that we have already lost our water, to lose the fountain as well would be a most grievous shame," the guardsman stated.

"This won't do anything to your fountain," Msaka sighed as he finished opening the bag. An argument was not what he needed right now.

"Nonetheless, I must insist, effendi. None may tamper with the fountain," the guardsman declared firmly.

Msaka paused for a moment to consider his options. He didn't want to leave, yet attacking the guard was not acceptable either. That left only one option. Holding the bag in his left hand, he made a slow, sweeping outward pass with his right hand, enacting the Calm spell he had used to good effect earlier.

Abruptly, the guardsman relaxed in an almost exagerrated fashion, his resolute expression becoming blank. That obstacle aside, Msaka stepped up to the edge of the fountain and poured the earth elemental into the basin, silently willing it to seek out the closest underground river and redirect part of it to the fountain. The elemental's form shimmered and sank down through the bottom of the basin, disappearing into the ground below.

"You!" a shout came from his left. "Stop where you are!"

Msaka turned to see a group of guardsmen running towards him from one side of the plaza. He tensed, realizing that he might have just landed himself in serious trouble by enchanting the fountain guard as he had, as well as breaking their edict about the fountain. There was no point in trying to escape from them, as his identity was obvious, and they would just search him out wherever he went. Thus, he waited for their arrival.

The guards were upon him a few moments later. Two of them grabbed his arms, holding him in place. The leader of the squad stood before him, scowling angrily. "For your actions this night, you are under arrest!" the leader declared.

He was about to continue, but the ground suddenly shook under his feet, throwing him and everyone else present off balance. The enspelled guardsman, not having the wit to keep his feet, landed flat on his back. Everyone else managed to remain upright, but shouts of alarm could be heard from some of the nearby buildings.

"What have you done!" the leader hissed, both startled and angry.

The only response he received was another, less powerful rumble from the ground below.

"Answer me!" he bellowed.

"I've..." Msaka began, openly angry at his treatment. His statement was interrupted, however, as a third rumble shook the plaza, this one growing rapidly stronger. It was all Msaka and the guards could do to remain standing against the assault. Lights were now coming on in the buildings nearby, as people who'd been awakened by the shaking sought to see what was going on.

All of a sudden, the rumbling stopped - replaced instead by sudden gushing and splashing sounds from the fountain. The guardsmen looked on in astonishment as the fountain sprang back to life, unleashing fresh, life giving water into the basin around it.

"Done that," Msaka finished.