From: aaron@space.ualberta.ca (Aaron Humphrey)
Subject: [KQ] Maleiu[ScrRam]: Thk is sick, and Marcel est arrive
Reply-To: aaron@space.ualberta.ca
Organization: University Of Alberta, Edmonton Canada
X-Newsreader: Tin 1.1 PL4
Date: Mon, 27 Jul 1992 16:41:31 GMT

The fight does seem to be over.  Kron goes over to Verdigren, who seems to have
regained some measure of consciousness.  He begins interrogating him, and
Verdigren seems little inclined to cooperate.  Then Moriarty says, "I'll tell
you what you want if you let me go."  Maleiu hurriedly unwraps the bola from
his legs, and the mage stands up unsteadily.

Kron finds out what he needs to know about the man Natter saw, and leads them
to the back room, where he discovers the stash of Joystix.  He mentions a
warehouse, and suggests going back to the Dragon's Inn for a good rest.  Maleiu
is doing fine--he's been on non-stop hunts longer than this--but he agrees that
a rest and regrouping is not a bad idea.  "We should pick up Captain and Azzar,
though.  They should be okay by now," he says.

Then he hears mumbling in lizard man and sees Thk struggling to his feet.
Maleiu says, "Ah!  Good to have you back in the land of the living, Thk," in
fluent lizardspeak(with a Darkie accent, of course).  "Come here and see what
we've--hey!  Lie back down, Thk!  One of your eyes is dialted!  Thk!  Where
are you going?!?"

Thk's right pupil is definitely a different size from the left one--Maleiu has
seen this once before, when one of the Dark Continent lizard-men, of the tribe
of Kaspssak, was hit by a falling tree branch.  He found out then that although
the appearances are slightly different, the symptoms of concussion in humans
and lizard-man are equivalent.  And Thk should >not< be walking around.

As Thk stumbles to the door, the Silver Trident pulls itself out of the wall
with a great noise, flying to Thk's hand.  Thk almost steps on Verdigren, who
manages to half-heartedly spit at the lizard man's leg.  Maleiu says, "Excuse
me," to Kron and the others, and leaps over the bar, trying to intercept Thk
before he gets out the door.

Too late.  Thk goes outside, mumbles something incoherent in lizard-speak(not
even Maleiu can understand it)and waves the trident around like he's trying to
point it at something.  Maleiu comes up behind him and sees a man in armor
holding a sword at rest.  Thk's aim wavers around, never settling on the man.
Then his eyes roll back in his head and he collapses into Maleiu's arms.
Maleiu groans at the sudden weight(Lizard men are >heavy<!)and lowers Thk
down onto the ground.

The man in armor sheathes his sword and makes a tentative step forward, saying
something in a strange language.  His face holds only a look of concern.
Maleiu decides to let him approach.  He hasn't made any aggressive moves toward
Thk or himself, and he may be a healer.  The man takes out a cross and started
saying words in a different language.  Maleiu has seen the cross before, and
relaxes.  He's seen priests from Ydoine use that symbol.

The man starts to falter in his speech, and sweat beads on his forehead.  He
eventually shakes his head and puts away the cross, taking out a round object
instead and laying it on Thk's head.  Another symbol, Maleiu thinks.  Sure
enough Thk starts to look slightly better.  The man says something in earnest
to Maleiu, and mimes a drinking motion.  Water--of course.  Thk would need some
water.

He returns inside the Scrappy Ram.  Kron seems to have finished with his
investigation, and they seem to be preparing to leave.  "Is there water around
somewhere?"

Fenris, behind the bar, says, "There's a bunch of bottles back here with clear
stuff in them.  Hold on and I'll check."  He takes them one by one, taking
swigs from them in turn.  Finally he says, "This one," and tosses a bottle
overhand to Maleiu who catches it deftly.  Fenris stows the rest of the bottles
for later...

Maleiu re-emerges with the bottle of water and hands it to the man.  His mind
has been working.  A long time ago, in his travels of the coast of the Dark
Continent, he spent time in the land of Wagado, or Ouagadau, as the rulers
spelled it.  The Wagado were a once-great empire that had fallen before the
forces of Ydoine a century ago.  While Wagado was still spoken, Ydoinais was
also common.  Maleiu has learned a little of the Ydoinais there, and this man
could very well be Ydoinais, with his cross.  So Maleiu hazards, in Ydoinais,
"Do you speak this language?"

Marcel is trickling some water into Thk's mouth, having given up on prying it
open.  He looks up at Maleiu's query.  His response is not quite in Ydoinais,
but it is mildly intelligible.  "You say it strange-like, man-black.  Speak
it you here?"

Maleiu shakes his head.  "Not here.  Language from another land.  Few here will
speak it.  You help Thk, we help you.  Need place to sleep?"

The man nods.  "I not know where I be, and like finding out.  You with
others?"  At Maleiu's nod, he extends his hand.  "I hight Marcel Delacroix."

Maleiu shakes Marcel's hand.  "My name is Maleiu."  He sees Kron and the rest
gathered behind him, and says to Marcel, "I will explain."

To Kron and the others, he says, "This man, who does not speak Common, helped
to heal Thk.  His name is Marcel Delacroix.  He is from Ydoine, I think.  I
invited him to accompany us back to the Dragon's Inn.  Have we aught else to
do, or shall we be on our way?  Fenris, can you help me with Thk?"

--
---Alfvaen(a.k.a. Aaron V. Humphrey, Page of Newts)
Canadian Network For Space Research, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
"The bullroarer churns a Moebius strip of sound..."  Anna Amabiaca
Current Album--The Clash:London Calling
Current Read--C.J. Cherryh:Merchanter's Luck