From: aaron@space.ualberta.ca (Aaron Humphrey)
Subject: [KQ] Maleiu[Warehouse]: Sparring In Darkened Corridors
Reply-To: aaron@space.ualberta.ca
Organization: University Of Alberta, Edmonton Canada
X-Newsreader: Tin 1.1 PL4
Date: Sat, 22 Aug 1992 04:14:57 GMT


Azzar slipped down the trapdoor and scouted around, returning to report no sign
of activity, and no inhabitants apart from a pair of zonked-out guards she had
found behind a crate.

"Let's go, then," Kron whispered.  A sudden desire for quiet had come over the
party, which was probably a good thing...

"I'll scout ahead," Colin whispered.  "The rest of you will need light, but I
should be fine without it."

"Maleiu and I can lead the rest of you, being the quietest," Azzar said.
Captain looked sharply at her, and then nodded, seeing the reason behind it but
not liking it.  "Then Rhoan, Captain and Kron."

Kron nodded.  "And Captain--keep that pup quiet if you're going to bring it
along.  I understand what you're doing, but I swear that if it brings anything
down on us by so much as yipping, you better cut its throat before I do.  Is
that clear?"  Captain nodded, obviously not liking that either.  "All right.
Let's move, before the people upstairs catch up with us."

They went one by one down the ladder.  Kron, the last through, noticed that a
murder hole was opening above them as he swung the trapdoor closed.  "I hate
these last-minute escapes," he muttered, knowing that this was an escape deeper
into the heart of enemy territory...

Colin moved ahead in the way Azzar's arrow pointed[ADMIN: We're assuming that
it's still functional at this point], and after he moved beyond the light of
the lantern that Azzar lit, the rest of the party followed.  Captain kept the
pup soothed, and soon it was snoozing under his shirt.  Maleiu listened ahead
for the almost imperceptible sound of Colin's footfalls--the half-elf was good,
but not as good as he or Azzar.

******

Wernher sighed and opened his eyes.  "Those idiots have chickened out.  We'll
make them regret that for a few months, won't we, boys?"  There was muttered
agreement from the rest of the guards.  "Golliath, get some light in here.
Those two will get a drubbing they won't soon forget."

Golliath got out of bed, yawned surreptitiously in the darkness, and went out
into the hall to light a few torches...

******

Colin turned a corner and froze when he heard muttered voices.  It was all
dark, so they must all be asleep...except for a few insomniacs, who wouldn't be
able to see them anyway.  He moved forward again, cautiously, knowing that the
rest were not far behind him.

Then he saw a shape moving toward a still-warm torch mounted on the wall.  It
was carrying another source of heat, probably a tinderbox.  It lifted the box
to the torch and Colin could hear the familiar rasp of flint on steel.

There was no way he'd be able to retreat fast enough that he wouldn't be seen
when the torch was lit.  So he drew his katana noiselessly and charged.

Golliath heard footsteps behind him.  His wooden sword was sheathed at his
waist, so he grabbed the torch off the wall and wheeled, holding it between him
and the noise.  It did indeed blunt the blow of Colin's katana--the torch was
sheared off halfway up its length, and Golliath got only a nick on his arm.

Golliath's first thought was, Jalbar's got himself a real sword from somewhere.
Wernher's going to love that--attacking a superior officer with a real weapon.
Halbar should be around, then--Golliath listened for another opponent.  Then he
thought, Jalbar wouldn't be near this good in the dark.  I've trained that
bastard myself, and he's good, but not that good.  He opened his mouth to call
out, only to gurgle as Colin's blade cut his neck open.  Shit, he thought in
the moment before he died.

Colin moved forward to catch the body before it hit the ground.  There was no
way he'd be able to dispose of it without excess noise.  He'd just have to
get the others before they got an organized response together.  He lowered the
corpse as gently as he could to the ground, and then dashed as quickly and
quietly as he could back down the corridor.  He skidded to a stop inside the
light of the lantern, momentarily blind as he shifted from infravision to
normal sight.  "They're rousing," he said.  "I killed one who was lighting a
torch.  They're not well-armed or armoured, though.  I don't know how many
there are.  We better move on them before they get too organized."

Kron nodded.  "Let's move, then.  Forget about silence--let's go for speed and
surprise."  Colin at the head, they dashed down the corridor, Kron thinking
that he was definitely getting too old for this sort of thing.

******

"Where the hell's that light?" Wernher muttered.  "Bim, go out there and see
what the hell Golliath's doing.  Stupid idiot probably forgot how to use a
tinderbox," he muttered.  But nagging doubts gnawed at his brain.  "Start
getting ready, boys.  Fourth Squad--why don't you guys get yourselves some
real weapons and armour there.  Just in case.  The rest of you, on your feet."

Then he saw a light from outside--but it was coming from down the corridor, not
from outside the door.  Bim yelled, "Golliath's dead--and there's a bunch
of guys comin' down the hall!"  Damn, Wernher said.  The first assault in
years, and here he is with his pants down.  How the hell did they get down here
so fast?  Why didn't those idiots upstairs ring the alarms?

On cue, he heard the din of the alarums.  Right on time, he thought bitterly,
and I don't even have my sword--it's back down the hall.  Some soul had managed
to get a torch lit in the room, finally, and he could see Fourth Squad rushing
to put on breastplates while Bim and First Squad were out in the hall engaging
them with wooden padded swords.  "Gimme that sword," he said, pointing at some
hapless Fourth Squadder, and had it.  "Elstrek's gonna be pissed if we let
these idiots overrun us."

******

As the light swept down the hall to where Colin had left the body, it lit on
another man, dressed in padded armour and carrying a wooden padded sword in
one hand and a tinderbox in the other.  He stood a moment petrified by the
onrushing band, and then yelled back into the room.  The party could see a
room full of men in disarray and chaos, and hear one voice yelling for order.
This won't quite be a piece of cake, thought Kron, but pretty damn close.
Five men attired like the first dashed out of the room, faces paling as they
saw their opposition.  Colin sparred with Bim, katana against wooden sword;
Maleiu held a couple at bay with his spear; Captain came forward to defend
Azzar, who readied a couple of arrows; and Rhoan readied his battle-axe as
he moved to the front.  Kron was carrying the lantern, which was the only thing
from keeping the battle from darkness at the moment--no, a light just went on
in the room.  The orc-dog pup had wriggled free of Captain's shirt and was
yapping at his feet.

Colin received a bruising blow on one arm, but slashes his opponent's arm
badly as he did so.  Maleiu used the haft of his spear to trip one of his
opponents and block another in the narrow passage.  Rhoan's battle-axe proved
to be made of sterner stuff than the wooden swords, as it cleft one right in
half.  Captain was menaced by two fighters, who seemed to have the advantage
until one fell with one of Azzar's arrows in his leg.

So far, so good, Kron thought, but how many more guys are in there?  And how
long until they start being actually equipped?  These guys are holding their
own fairly well, considering their disadvantage--real elite guys.  Probably
culled from the army.  Damn, this could be fun.

--
---Alfvaen(a.k.a. Nysinra, rot13 Psycho)
"So you found a girl who thinks really deep thoughts
 what's so amazing about really deep thoughts"  -- Tori Amos
Current Album--Tom Waits:Small Change
Current Read--Henry David Thoreau:Walden and Other Writings
Newsgroups: alt.pub.dragons-inn