From: hutch@hutch (Stephen Hutchison)
Subject: Re: [Dq:] Week 2, part two:  Looping and Nesting.
Organization: Intel Corp., Hillsboro, Oregon
Date: Wed, 29 Jul 92 16:39:12 GMT


Characters:  Dragon Questors.  Also Serene.
Time:  before the precipitous attack on the DQ by Dark Master.
       definitely before the undead eruption in the city.

+ "Time is of the essence"... Hmmm...
+ 
+ SunStorm then noticed that he was very hungry. Also, the sun was slowly
+ coming down. Time to return to the inn again.

At the Dragon's Inn, yet another dark-clad man strode through the door.
He was middling-tall, his face hidden by the shadows of the hooded
black poncho he wore.  Under the poncho, black pants, loose and bloused,
resembling a skirt almost.  Bare, muscled arms, deeply tanned, showed
as he reached up and pulled the hood back, revealing a chiseled face,
shoulder length blond hair streaked down the left side with a fine stripe
of flickering color.  His eyes flickered, as well, matching the color.

"Kadrys.  Good to see you again," he said, in an ancient Elvish dialect.

"'Raelf.  You did just leave a few hours ago."

"Oh.  Yes, I would have.  Never mind, it'll be less clear soon."  'Raelf
returned to his accustomed seat, and waved to Serene.

"Please bring my usual."  She smiled efficiently, and brought over a
tankard of Catamount Gold and a plate with roast tubers and gamecock.
His eyes flickered red as he devoured the food.

"Did you discover anything?"  Valgar asked, wondering where the board
had gotten to.  'Raelf had gone out on a short flying board, and Valgar
was wondering whether he had an extra.

"I'll tell you everything I can when Sunstorm comes in, which ought
to be any time now."   'Raelf grinned, hollowly, and leaned back to
listen to the music coming from Listener.

+ CUT TO: The evening
+ 
+ On the way back, SunStorm met up with Lancos. He asked him what where the
+ newws, but since they were nearly at the inn, they decided to wait until
+ meeting with the others to actually say everything they'd done that day.
+ 
+ When they got inside, Valgar, 'Raelf and Kadrys where there, too. SunStorm
+ and Lancos went to the table, and Sunstorm told everybody about what he
+ learned, which isn't much.

Behind them, 'Raelf silently slid in through the door, riding on the
flying board.  He pulled up suddenly, seeing himself at the table.
A quick hand-sign:  <Code?>

<Silence is golden> came the reply.  Kadrys blinked, remembering the
events of the previous evening.  Valgar merely stared, back and forth,
and finally asked,  "'Raelf, are you twins?"

The man in the black poncho smiled.
"Not exactly.  How can you be in two places at once..."

"... when you not are anywhen at all." finished the man on the board.
He landed, and K-CHAK-CHK the boots came free.

SunStorm geve a momentary expression of complete bafflement.  Lancos
seemed a bit surprised, but decided to accept this weird turn of events.
They sat at the table, in their usual spots.

"SunStorm," said the 'Raelf at the table, "The riddle says it.  Time is
of the essence.  You are one lucky giant."

'Raelf put the board down against the wall, and sat next to himself at
the table.  The others, looking carefully, realized that the fellow
in the black poncho had longer hair, and looked both leaner and a
bit more muscular.  And definitely more tired.  The other waved to
the waitress.

"Serene, could please you bring me second helping," he grinned,
and leaned forward to listen to the discoveries of the day.

"Hey, me too," asked the condensed giant.  "I haven't eaten since,
well, you know, I think I forgot to eat yesterday."

"So what's going on," Valgar asked.  'Raelf in the voidsuit answered.

"Well, I find little.  Some aggro heavy-max water mage y'all keep local,
has major spells on harbor, probably that fellow ...sage told me 'bout.
There be someone doing big nasty summons of beer elemental in scruzzy
quarter of town, I stay clear.  Was also tried to find TrueSilver with
finder spell from grandfather.  No go, nil dice.  Found something seems
like dragon from above, but it feel wrong, dissolve seeker, maybe being
was not true dragon, or just not being truesilver.  Suspicions from
time-space flows, is some nastiness coming from down city."

[ The others gave their discoveries for the day. ]

Sunstorm turned to 'Raelf in the poncho.  "So what do YOU have to
say.  Or do you?"

'Raelf grinned in stereo.  The one in the poncho spilled a bit of
beer on the table, and began swirling it about, rolling it into
small waterballs.  He rolled one between his fingers meditatively.

"I can tell you one thing that you don't know already.  You know
that time is of the essence.  You know the riddles.  Caves are dark,
and you'll never be out of the dark unless you go into it first."

SunStorm resisted the temptation to swear.  "More riddles I don't
need.  Why all the big secrets?"

'Raelf looked over at himself.  The one in the voidsuit.

"So I supposed telling be?"  Nod.  "OK, fine, be that way."

He reached back, and the board floated to his hand.

<<<TestMode On>>> "So is like this.  See here," 'Raelf indicated the
runes lining the edges and the bottom of the board.  They glowed
a faint faerie glow.  He pointed to a large, complex nested rune
glittering in red and silver.  "This being cosmos rune.  Is kind
of like lever.  Can use to help make simple TRANS go much more far."

From on the wall behind them, the DiamondSword interrupted.

"What's a TRANS?  How does it work?  Why are you in two places
at the same time?  Hey, you're both really magical.  SunStorm,
that guy isn't a human.  Are you a demon?  Or is that demons,
I guess it doesn't matter.  If you're a demon, I won't talk to
you.  SunStorm, if he's a demon you shouldn't quest with him."

'Raelf looked up simultaneously at the Zweihander sword.

"Be cool, dude." Flames danced in their eyes, identically.

"Well, I guess I could wait and find out."  ShockWave subsided.

"TRANS is, how you say, ..." 'Raelf paused, looking for the right
word.  'Raelf broke in, "planar shift, dude."
"Yeah, planar shift.  Is far enough can go to other time, if being
get correct address and stuff."

Lancos suddenly realized what this meant.  "So you time travelled."

"Correct."  Both of him nodded.

"And you survived the quest?  So we know you survive, great, how about
the rest of us, do we succeed?  Do we find TrueSilver,"  SunStorm demanded,
half rising.

"I've already told you everything I'm allowed to tell.  And don't
jump to any conclusions about anyone surviving anything.  I will
not tell you, either way."  'Raelf met his gaze square on.

The giant fell back into his chair, startled.  The time traveller's
eyes were like hollow pools of blackness, and deep inside was the
hint of something lasting, cold, and very final. 

"So you want finish this," said 'Raelf blandly, handing the half
eaten guineafowl carcass to his later self with a nudge.

Then strangeness happened.

[To be continued in the DQ post "week 2 part 3" ]