From: scavanag@neumann.une.edu.au (Steven Cavanagh)
Newsgroups: alt.pub.dragons-inn
Subject: [T&R] Prime cuts of Rollik: $5.99/Kg!
Date: 1 Sep 92 13:15:10 GMT


>	A Ninja.
>	It seemed to be waiting confidently for Rollik to make the
>first move.

Rollik obliged.

"So, it is to be a duel, vile servant of Ak'lssh. Very well, but
know you that I am well versed in the finer arts of fisticuffs"
The swashbuckler raised his clenched fists.

With an effortless move and swish of steel, the Ninja reached
behind him and drew a straight-edged sword, a ninja-to.

Rollik's hands dropped to his sides.

"On what terms do you accept surrender?" he said, walking toward
the assasin with his empty hands held open submissively."After all,
a professional killer such as yourself has strength, skill and
a bloody sharp sword, whereas all a cultured gentleman such as
myself has is some manual dexterity, wits-"
Rollik's fist shot out without warning.

<CRACK!>

the Ninja's head snapped back with the force of the blow, followed
by his body, and thumped to the floor.

"and a straight right with the kick of a horse" Rollik finished. 

The Ninja was good. A punch that should have laid him out with
little shurikens twirling around his head only stunned him for
less than a second. He flipped to his feet and slashed the ninja-to
in a lightning arc at Rollik.
	Where Rollik had been. The swashbuckler was not quick to
underestimate an opponent. The Ninja was quick to follow up, 
changing the trajectory of his weapon in an instant. Rollik's
nimble sidestepping saved his limbs again, but he knew he could not
keep this up for ever.
	The Ninja chose his attacks carefully, trying to steer Rollik
into a corner where there was nowhere to go. Rollik saw this, and
escaped the trap with a feint and a roll, his mind racing. He needed
an opening, a distraction.
	The assasin was not having as easy a time of it as he had
expected. Though this overdressed fool was no martial artist, he
seemed to know what was coming before it came, and knew how to avoid
many techniques with ease.
	He must have trained with a martial artist, the Ninja realised.
A lot. He rubbed his aching jaw, put his earlier self-confidence behind
him, looked with fear at the eye, and did what he did best.
	This time he was just too fast. Rollik caught a slash along
his upper arm as he twisted to the left of the attack. The swashbuckler
grasped the wound quickly and thought hard. He had seen where the Ninja
had been looking. He dropped to a crouch, keeping his center of gravity
low, and waited for the next attack. It came quickly, a blindingly
fast thrust aimed at his chest. Rollik sprang in a precalculated
move, the ninja-to slicing the air after him. The Ninja spun and
followed, sword raised for a vicious strike.

He froze. The seeing eye was directly in front of his sword stroke.

	His fear at offending his master clouded the fact that
the remote eye was intangible for a full second, by which time Rollik's
boot was already deep in the assasin's stomach. Air blasted from his
lungs as he doubled over into the path of a solid uppercut that lifted
him from the floor. Despite the pain, the Ninja used this momentum to
backflip into a fighting stance, wheezing and shaken. Rollik tried to
press his advantage while his adversary was still groggy, but only
received a small cut to the shoulder for his efforts. The brief
advantage was lost.
	The two circled warily. Rollik was tiring now, and the strain
of the unevenly matched fight was starting to show. He had given a
good account of himself, but was bleeding from arm and shoulder,
and the wound in his side, courtesy of the bandit leader, had reopened
again. He had to end this duel, and quickly.
	With unexpected speed Rollik darted in, ducked the swinging
blade, and tried for a jab to the midriff. His fist met the Ninja's
other hand in an open-handed block, which twisted Rollik's arm as
he was hit in the face with the hilt of the ninja-to. The swashbuckler
broke his enemy's grip and jumped backward, out of range of the 
backswing. A mounting fear inside him started his tactical mind
working with renewed effort. This was it.
	Quick as a striking snake, Rollik gave a shout and feinted
for a footsweep, then leaped inside the assasin's guard. His hand
locked on th Ninja's weapon hand, and he twisted it into a disarm
technique. The Ninja, however, was faster. He pushed a rigid
finger into a pressure point inside Rollik's collarbone, and
pain lanced across the swashbuckler's chest, making him release
his grip. A kick to Rollik's knee connected with a crack, and a
final swing with the sword caught him a glancing blow on the side
of the head. Rollik stumbled backward, then turned and fled out
of the room the way he came in, with the Ninja in pursit.
	He did not have to hurry. Rollik went a short way, then
collapsed onto the corridor's glowing floor. As he clambered
wearily to his feet, bleeding from his many wounds, the assasin
raised the ninja-to over his head for a beheading stroke.

Something under his foot clicked.

	With a muffled bang a bolt of solid fire blasted over
the Ninja's chest and both arms, causing him to scream in agony
and drop his untouched weapon into Rollik's waiting hand. The
swashbuckler seemed unconcerned by his wounds now.

It was all an act, the assasin thought.

Rollik smiled grimly. His hunch had been correct.
"You're just the hired help" he stated "You don't know this place any
better than I do". He twirled the ninja-to experimentally. It was
heavier and differently balanced than his rapier, but he and Timelord
had sparred with katanas a few times, and this was quite similar.
	 
The assasin looked at his charred wounds helplessly, then at Rollik
readying the ninja-to, then behind him. Ak'lssh's seeing eye had
followed them up the corridor. Without hesitation, the Ninja 
whipped out a black dagger and plunged it into his own gut, just
above the appendix. He drew it sharply to the middle, upward
to his chest, and snapped the hilt off. Rollik watched in horror
as he collapsed backward onto the floor.
	The voice of Ak'lssh spoke from the eye. 
"Your mind is as sharp as your companion's" he said in an amused
voice. "This will be more fun than I thought. Still, in the
shape you're in you won't be much of a challenge to some of
my pets" 

Rollik's wounds closed as the eye vanished.

"give the mouse some cheese" he muttered to the empty air.



ADMIN: for those who came in late.. or have short memories, Rollik
	found this booby trap in the last episode.

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                                |
Steven Cavanagh                 |        So many women-
(Cav)                           |
                                |                      -So little charisma.
scavanag@neumann.une.oz.au      |
                                |
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