From: albert@chain.ssctr.bcm.tmc.edu (Rick Jones)
Newsgroups: alt.pub.dragons-inn
Subject: Marcel's Crusade [MC] Twine [all over town] pleased to meet you...
Date: 29 Jul 1992 22:10:26 GMT
Organization: Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Tx


ADMIN:  Okay, this is a new thread, "Marcel's Crusade" (or [MC]).  
Hands off the baddies for now.  Whatever they do, for now they will
get away with.  Send me email if you're interested, but for now, this
is a one Knight job.  Hands off Shiralee as well (except for cameos).

        Somewhere outside of Generica...

        <<Replay scan of time sequence code 34.>>
        An image of Generica is overlaid with a bright red glow.  A counter
slowly advances.  A blue spot appears on the map, and blossoms into a large
sphere, that quickly retracts to a speck.
        "What section of town is that, slave?"
        "Looks to be near the Scappy Ram.  A tavern, lord.  The scum of
Low City go there.  What does the glow mean, lord.?"
        "It appears to be a crosstime spike of magnitude 7."
        "Pardon, lord?"
        "It may mean the end of my exile in this pittiful cosm."  Go there,
find out what happened last night, and report."
        "It pleases me to serve you, lord."
        "As it should, slave.  Now go."
        "Sir..?"
        "WHAT is IT?"
        "I may need money, lord.  For bribes and fees and whatnot."
        "You were a thief once, were you not?  Steal it!"
        "Of course, master."
        "Now go, Twine, before my patience ends."
        "Yes lord."

        Later, on the road to Generica...

        "I can smell the wife's cooking already.  Gods, I'm starving."
The merchant kicked his horse onward.  It looked back at him, gave him
a look as if to say, "what's you're hurry, Doofus?" and kept on plodding
towards town.
        It's ears suddenly pricked up.  "What is it girl?  Snake?" he asked.
The two of them had travelled the Generica/Specifica route many a time,
and he knew her moods.  He quietly reached for his crossbow.
        "That trick never works," taunted a voice from the nearby trees.
        "Look, if it's money you want, fine take what I have.  It was
a crappy run anyway.  Just don't hurt me."  And show yourself you rat
bastard so I can shoot you, he thought.
        "'Hurt you?' Whatever gave you that idea?" replied the voice in
the woods.
        "I'm going to kill you," came from behind the merchant.  He started
to swing the crossbow around.  A small red dot appeared on his forehead.
A second later, a small hole appeared there.  The merchant slumped over and
fell off the horse, which bolted.
        "Come back here you nag!" shouted the highwayman.  Sensibly,
the horse ignored him.  "Fragging no account..." mumbled Twine, stripping
the corpse with a practiced air.  "That's IT?" he asked the corpse.
"Oh, if I wasn't in a hurry.  Still, no reason I can't save you for later.
I wouldn't need to do this shit if the Master didn't take every piece of
gold and silver I steal."

        Later, in the Scrappy Ram...

        "This place is even more of a dump.  So tell me, Verdigren,
what happened here last night."  A few coins slid forward on the bar.
        "An army of those #$*&ing !@#% )#*$@ <>#$#$@#s from the [you don't
even want to know] Dragon's Inn went beserk here."
        "Really now?  I heard there was some trouble outside as well."
        "Morairty summoned up something and one of 'em exploded outside.
Another [shudder, I _can't_ print that] from the Inn was waiting outside
and carved the other up.  A [you get the picture] paladin of some kind.
He patched up their lizard buddy."
        "Well, that's very interesting.  You going to payback?"
        Verdigren drew himself up to his full(ly unimpressive) height.
"Of course.  I'm just waiting for the right moment.  See ya 'round, Twine.
You're a right bastard."
        "You betcha."  Twine left the pile of coins on the bar, and walked
out.  He smiled as he noticed the two toughs following him.  He walked
along innocently and turned into a dark alley.  The toughs snicked and
rushed in after him.
        "Duh, where'd he go, Jorge?" asked the larger of the two.
        "Shut up, Lenhi.  Okay pal.  We saw the loot you had," said the
other, drawing a blade.  "So hand it over and nobody gets hurt."
        A harsh laughter came from the shadows. "Hurt?  Hurt's what I'm
all about, scut."
        "Okay, play it your way.  Lenhi, go feed him his nuts."  The
hulking man stomped into the shadows.
        "Come out Mister Ma-AAAAAHHHH!"  His screams quickly faded away
to a low gurgling.
        Sorry, Lenhi, thought Jorge, dashing for the exit.  Pain blossomed
in his right leg, and he fell over.  He knew crying for help was pointless,
so he rolled over, so he could stab that sonovabitch when he close.
        Twine smirked as he stooped down near the fallen Jorge.  "Aw,
does it hurt?  Gee, I'm sorry, but it looks like you're about to bleed
to death.  Not as fun as skinning you, but nevertheless quite interesting."
        "FUGOFF," cried Jorge, sticking his shiv into the thin shirt Twine
was wearing.  The blade started to penetrate, then stopped.
        "Fuck you, asshole," deadpanned Twine.  "That was a perfectly good
shirt.  Now I'm going to have to get messy."
        Nobody dared enter the alley that night.  The next morning, a brave
(or was it foolhardy) soul found two bodies, tied together by their own
intestines.  All the right parts where there, but not in the right places.

        That same night, at the Dragon's Inn... [ADMIN: after the 
Kron Questors and Marcel arrive from the Scrappy Ram.]

        "Gimme a brew," grumped Twine.
        "You go swimming?" asked Shiralee the barmaid.
        "Right babe, abso-fragging-lutely right.  Now get my beer?" The
barmaid flounced off.  I couldn't very well come in with those bozo's guts
all over me, he thought.
        Well, that's probably the paladin over in the corner talking with
the rest of the bunch that tore up the Ram, he mused.  I better amble over.
The thin man wandered around the many-cornered inn, one arc taking him near
the group.  They all fell silent when he got close.  He raised his glass
to them and continued on.   Fine, be that way.  I've got what I came for.
He dumped a few coins on the bar and left.

ADMIN:  He wasn't acting suspicios, he didn't look suspicious, he didn't
even smell suspiscious, so let him go report.
-- 
Rick Jones				Systems Support Center
albert@bcm.tmc.edu			Baylor College of Medicine
Voice: 713-798-7352			standard disclaimers apply
"I've _got_ to start listening to those quiet, nagging doubts." - Calvin