Organization: Central Michigan University
Date: Thursday, 19 Nov 1992 12:59:25 EST
From: Mike Sander <344LWKC@CMUVM.CSV.CMICH.EDU>
Newsgroups: alt.pub.dragons-inn
Subject: (REPOST) [DQ] Week 15: Waking Up from the Nightmare

[ADMIN: Apparently, this post didn't make it out worldwide the first time
 <sigh>. Here's a brief post order for the recent output:
 Week 14: A Life at Stake
 Week 14: The Green-Eyed Monster
 Week 15: Waking up from the Nightmare
 Week 15: True Sight
 Miro: Separate Points of View
 Kadrys: Going Hunting
Hopefully, these sort of problems won't continue. If you (ever) have any
questions, feel free to e-mail me!]

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Lancos wakes up in the middle of the night. He is drenched with sweat from
many unspeakable nightmares. His mind calls for protection from them, and
knows where he can find it -- the medallion. Yes, the medallion would
protect him from anything. He reaches for it, but it does not seem to be
where he left it. He flicks on a light, and sees it is nowhere around. A
quick search of the room proves to be equally futile -- the medallion is
gone; stolen.

Lancos' mind races to find the culprit. Krastin? -- no, he couldn't touch
the item. Noira? -- no, she was busy with the soul jar. Lord Raven? -- no,
he wouldn't be that subtle. Vornik became his only real suspect. Grabbing
his supplies, Lancos ran out of the room towards Vornik's lab.

* * * *
Vornik places the medallion in a magical field, which keeps it afloat and
surrounded by a strange aura. He pulls out a book, deciding to record his
findings:

"The medallion contains an intelligence that is trying to stop my attempts
at finding its origins and powers. My initial examination only produced
information I had already known of: immunity to normal weapons as much as
possible; an advanced speed and ease in attacking. A second wave will reveal
more, after the field has softened its resistance somewhat."

* * * *
Lancos rushes thru the hall. The run helps clear his mind somewhat; allows
Lancos' true thoughts to usurp the medallion's implants. He slows down a bit,
adjusting to all that has occurred. Much of the recent events seem
indistinguishable from the nightmares he had just experienced, and no more
pleasant. He could only hope that they were equally fale. Lancos -- bit by
bit regaining control -- places the stone 'Raelf had given him some time
ago around his neck. It hadn't been "needed" while the medallion had been
worn, but now it served as Lancos' best source of protection.

* * * *
Vornik paused, allowing his magical energies to restore themselves, and to
write down more about what he had discovered:

"The medallion is becoming more interesting, though not necessarily more
useful. Its mindset resembles a beastial quality, focused on survival more
than anything else, and it tries to force its wearer to follow the same path.
It features an increased resistance to mental attacks, although obviously
nothing as strong as the PyraCubic Diamond. It also has a strangely linked
regenerative power. The medallion's resistnace is bending, and will without
doubt soon break."

* * * *
Miro roamed the halls, reflecting on what he'd found out. Besides the Dark
Master, only Vornik might have something to free the questers. But Miro had
never been a proponent of fighting, and he was unsure if he could take on
Vornik by himself anyway.

Fortunately, he knew where to get help -- Lancos. Not immediately, but he
felt the fighter would change his mind, once relayed the information Miro
had "overheard":

...
"Now that my discussion with the DemonMother is ended, time for a progress
report." the Dark Master announced. "How are the prisoners corrupting?"

"Well enough." Krastin answered. "They are slowly losing hope, becoming
more usuable for your purposes."

"Excellent! And Noira's work?"

"Not at fast as expected -- her punishment is still affecting her somewhat --,
but the overall process is running smoothly."

"AND?!" Lord Raven asked impatiently.

Krastin sighed. He hated being the bearer of bad news. "And, as feared, that
is all the spirit will be useful for. You won't have the sufficient memories
-- the knowledge of powers and skills -- that you requested."

The Dark Master let out a curse. "And the sword's equally unsuitable. That
only leaves four: the mage, the giant, the woman, and the bearded man. I'll
need one more for my pentagram -- a substitute, obviously. And that
substitute may just have to be..." Lord Raven say, turning towards Krastin.

Krastin backs up slightly, fearful that the next word will be his own name.

"...Lancos!" Lord Raven continues, not even noticing Krastin's relieved
reaction. "I'll show HIM a thing or two about betrayal. And it WOULD be
a show of loyalty!" he finished, grinning as wide as he was able.
...

Still, Miro could only hope Lancos would be convinced, otherwise he would only
be placing HIMSELF in more danger. Then Miro spotted Lancos, the fighter
briskly walking past the Dark Master's throne room, and towards Vornik's
chambers. Miro followed, easily catching up with him.

Miro noticed the familiar predatory look, but saw that the man no longer wore
the medallion. Miro briefly scanned the enemy's thoughts for menace, and found
it, aimed at Vornik -- yes, Vornik had taken the medallion, and Lancos was
obviously going to try to regain it. Miro still remained silent, however,
deciding to aid Lancos only if necessary.

Lancos found Vornik's door locked, and Miro thought over the idea of coming
out of hiding, in order to pick the door. It soon became academic, as Lancos
grabbed the knob, preparing to use his strength to bust through.

* * * *
Vornik stopped again. He didn't WANT to, but his magical energies needed
recharging again. To pass the time, he continued his writings:

"As far as I am concerned, the examination is complete, and now I shall try
to make the medallion subserviant. Since it has this animal-like self-
preservation instinct, a few 'beatings' should curb it to my will. If the
medallion is so concerned about survival, a few threats to it should serve
me well.

"But what exactly to do with the medallion's powers is still in question. It
seems to enhance, or perhaps even cause, the ability to transform oneself
into one or more carniverous animals. Of course, for anyone not already
skilled in the area -- like druids would be -- the change is essentially
involunatary, and the person's action would no longer be their own to control,
much like the early stages of lycanthropy. But while it doesn't restrict
its 'usuability' to humans -- like lycanthropy does --, it DOES require the
subject be living. That makes it somewhat useless in this plane. My best bet
appears to be to control Lancos through it; using those tools to gain 'Lord'
Raven's throne for my own. Once I have access to other realms, the
boundaries are endless.

"Lancos -- his case is unique indeed. I cannot be fully sure until I see the
change firsthand -- since the medallion appears to be highly individualized --
but all signs point to the animal this device is trying to transform him into
as being a ..."

* * * *
_BLAM!_ The door blasts open, setting off the fire trap upon it. Lancos files
into the room, the magical stone taking all the damage. He raises his swords
at Vornik in an unmistakable sign of hostility.

Vornik tries to hide his surprise, tries to stall so his energies can
recharge further, so he can plan his response. "Lancos! You DO realize that
you shouldn't attack a prepared mage -- especially one with wight abilities?"

"Give it up -- you won't do anything powerful for fear of hitting your own
property, and you KNOW it." Lancos says, nevertheless advancing carefully.

Vornik largely agreed with the statement, but did not show it. "That wouldn't
mean anything even WERE it true." he says, mumbling a spell softly. "Besides,
you really don't want to hurt me, do you?"

Lancos shakes his head, and a grinning Vornik motions the man towards him.
When the two are only about a foot apart, Lancos' scimitar suddenly lashes
out, catching the surprised wight in the lower chest.

"Did THAT hurt?" Lancos asks, grinning slightly, "Sorry!.

Vornik was reeled back a bit, and angry that he had initially played with
Lancos. He pulls out a wand, and fires small balls of force.

The missiles hit Lancos. The stone absorbs them, but shatters after the last
of them strikes, its effectiveness ended. Lancos curses, knowing that he has
to end this battle quickly. He slashes Vornik's arm, knocking the wand out
of the mage's hand, and causing a deep gash in the wrist.

Vornik grows tired of the whole concept, and casts a spell that effectively
paralyzes Lancos, who nonetheless struggles constantly to break free.

"Tsk, tsk, that's NO way for a future servant of mine to act!" Vornik gloats.

"I'll not be a servant to you, or your Dark Master!" Lancos cries out.

"Oh, really?" Vornik queries, a bit surprised at the response. "Well, I'll
have to fix that!" he says, heading for the medallion.

Miro snaps to life. Before Lancos' words, he had not known whether
interference was the proper course, feeling Lancos was as evil as Vornik,
and that the two should destroy each other. But now he saw the true evil.
He said a brief prayer, and took aim with blades of solidified holy water
at the place where Vornik's kidneys used to be.

The blades find the mark, and Vornik spins around instantly to see the elf
fading from sight - his quick speel only showed him a faint outline where
this unknown enemy lurked. Vornik prepared to advance, his mind focused
purely on retaliation.

A fatal mistakes, as his concentration falls from Lancos' situation. Lancos
uses the opportunity to attack from behind, his strike sending the wight into
unconsciousness.

He stands over the wight, ready to finish it off, when Miro interrupts.

"Wait -- killing's a bad idea in this realm, even one such as him. I've got
a better idea -- I'll 'put him on ice', as 'Raelf might say."

Lancos gives a puzzled look at the expression, until he sees ice starting to
form on Vornik's body where it was impaled by Miro's swords. In the meanwhile,
Lancos heads towards the medallion. He stops near it, and reads the notes
left by Vornik, down to the last word. He tears off the pages and stores them
in his backpack, not wanting anyone besides himself to see them.

"That's done." Miro says, rising. "Now, are YOU all right?" he asks, picking
up Vornik's dropped wand.

"I'm better than all right -- I'm back to normal." Lancos says, using his
scimitar to remove the medallion from the field. "Come here a second, and
open your backpack."

Miro complies, and Lancos turns the elf around. He then drops the medallion
into the open flasp. "I want this around in case we need it -- for deceptive
purposes or whatever -- but I think it'll be best if you had it for now."

Miro nods, and begins leading Lancos to where the others are held. The two
talk about all that's happened, and Lancos becomes slightly downhearted,
finding out that most of the things he hoped were only nightmares were in
fact all too true.

"So, what's with the wand, anyways?" Lancos eventually asks.

"It has the same force-shaping powers as the bonds that imprison the others,
it should be possible to use it to free them." Miro answered.

"Perhaps you should let me have it then -- if freeing them doesn't show my
true heart... Well, I'll be willing to face the consequences>"

"That would be fine, except what about Kadrys?"

"What ABOUT Kadrys?" Lancos says shakily, afraid the worst of his
nightmares was about to become reality.

Miro opens the dorr, and exposes Kadrys' fate to Lancos' eyes.

Lancos is speechless as MIro begins to free the others, his eyes fixed on
the horrid sight before him.
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Michael Sander 344lwkc@cmuvm.csv.cmich.edu
AKA Lancos Erredan