From: cam@mullet.gu.uwa.edu.au (Cameron Neylon)
Subject: [W] Williams story part 7 (almost finished)
Organization: University Computer Club --- Perth, Western Australia
Date: Thu, 20 Aug 1992 01:34:02 GMT

A ship was prepared for us to travel on. An occupying army had
appeard in our village  recently. It turned out that they were
somwehow financing the venture. We were given a chit for
50,000 gold coins. This was to pay for our travel and all equipment
until we returned from our task. They never explained the that 
they were expecting us to take about twelve years to complete
it but anyway.

The four of us left on a boat, on what to us was a great voyage.
None of us had ever travelled on the sea before let alone on a 
great ship like this one. To our unnacustomed eyes it was absolutely
huge. We later saw much bigger ones in the city where we arrived.

But the voyage was important for a different reason. For the first
time Eloise seemed to actually take some interest in me. Well some
interest that wasn't entirely professional anyway. We spent all
the time we could together, and for those few weeks I thought 
somehow i could work. I could find potions of longevity or 
something that would let us live together. Those three weeks were
the greatest time in my life.

The joy of all this was shattered though, when we arrived in a great
city. It was the first city any of us had ever seen, and it was big.
It was even big for a city. It was just huge.

We managed to find a place to stay. A pretty shabby inn near the docks.
I thought I'd cast a small spell to try and scry out the area around
us to ensure it was safe to stay. It was, as it turned out it was the
spell that wasn't safe. After about half an hour, the cleric and Eloise
were asleep and the swordsman and I were in the bar when we saw a man
with a white cloak and a large staff walking towards the inn. People
were rushing to get away from him and the barkeeper was looking pale
so we asked him, with some trepidation who the man was.

'He's a elder, some bloody fool hhas gone and cast a magick!'

The fighter and I, I think his name was Robert, looked at each other
with some degree of sheer terror, and then turned back to the barkeeper.

'What will happen to the spell caster I they're caught', I asked with
not enough nonchalance as it turned out.

'They'll hang him for violating . . . It was you wassn't it? You 
bastard! Elder!  ELder! he's in here, I've got Him!', he shouted outside,
the elder turning towards me made eye contact and began to cast a spell.

Both of us just ran. Up the the stairs to the room we went throwing
fruniture behind us we went, a huge sticky mass, hitting the wall behind
us. We ran into the room where the other two were sleeping woke them, and
tried to drage them out of thier respeective beds. 

Soon there was a knockking on the door.

'Open up, give yourselves up!'

There were gaurds coming around the back so the window wasn't an option.
We prepared to open the door and fight our way out just as it was stovd
in. We killed the first guard, and managed to push our way out of the room.

We were ina corridor. Guards and the white wizard were coming towards us.
At our backs at the end if the corridor there was a window opening on the 
street. From two story's up.

Both of us cast a spell. Mine was a stinking clooud, or smething, Eloise's
was a flame or something. The . . Robert . . fought them with his sword,
though he ssoon collapsed in the cloud of noxious fumes. We dragged him
out but couldn't wake hhim up, and the cloud that had protected us
ws beginning to thin. We gave him to the cleric, and told her to get him
to the window, for fresh air.

We were being pushed back. The only spell I had left was create fire, and
if we wanted to get out that probably wasn't a good idea, so I fought
with my dagger, until I lost it and then with my fists.

It was no good though it was clear we weren't going to make it. The only
way out was,

'Out the window!', the cleric cried throwing Robert out, and then jumping

herself. Eloise followed as I held back the guards by simply blocking
the corridor. I dropped everything I still held, and ran for the 
window, and dived through it.

I hit the ground somewhat dazed, and just held onto my fragile conscousness, 
hearing Eloise screeam at me.

'FIRE WILLIAM, I need FIRE!'

With the last shreds of awareness, I managed to cast the spell, to some
extent anyway. I remember a great flash before I passed out . . . 

Admin: Just about finished now.

-- 
Cameron Neylon  cam@gu.uwa.edu.au
I can't think of anything witty enough that people 
would really want to see it time after time after . .