From: scavanag@neumann.une.edu.au (Steven Cavanagh)
Newsgroups: alt.pub.dragons-inn
Subject: [T&R] Some Flashy swordplay..
Date: 22 Aug 92 03:20:36 GMT


As Rollik ran through the small alleyside door, he immediately took in
the contents of the room beyond. Lavish furnishings betrayed this as
the Bandits hideout, as the surrounding blocks were somewhat of a slum.
Elegant Tapestries hung from the wall, a table and chairs were off to 
his left, and on the far side of the room a stairway curved up to the
right and met a balcony. The bandit leader was heading for these at
a shambling run.

Perfect.

Rollik gave a sudden burst of speed and, rather than tackle his
quarry from behind, actually ran past him and sprang onto the middle
of the staircase by vaulting the bannister. With Timelord out in
the alley finishing off the last of the bandits, the leader had 
nowhere to go but through Rollik. He snarled and lifted his sabre anew.

There a few things a Swashbuckler loves more than a good, stereotypical
staircase fight, and Rollik was no exception to the rule. He fought
with a thrill in his heart, pretending to be driven back up the stairs,
then driving the leader back down and wishing desperately that the
room had a chandelier. Out of a sense of obligation, he left a gap
in his defenses open so that the leader slashed at his feet and he
could jump the whistling blade.

This act of toying with the villian, however, had Rollik so occupied
that he almost failed to notice a crucial detail. During a fierce 
exchange the leader looked not at Rollik, but somewhere else. Rollik
puzzled over it. Was he looking at my shoulder?

Behind me.

With reflexive speed, Rollik twisted to one side and drew his parrying
dagger, bringing it into play barely in time to catch an ugly 
serrated dagger thrust by G'ndor, forgotten in the heat of battle.
Knowing he would not last long against an opponent on either side,
Rollik jumped up the stairway into G'ndor's swing, locking the
dagger between two prongs of his parrying dagger and disarming
the Gnome with a sudden twist. He threw the parrying dagger at
the leader for a sudden distraction, then picked up the little Gnome,
placed him on the bannister, and flung him down it at the leader.
This was not as perfect a move as Rollik would have liked, as rather
than sliding smoothly into the leader, the squealing Gnome picked up
a number of large splinters, missed his nimble master, and was 
rendered unconscious by the pole at the end with a sickening crunch.

Rollik was momentarily distracted by this startling event, and the
bandit leader, acting with a fury born from desparation, kicked the
swashbuckler's legs out from under him, knocking him onto the stairs.
A follow-up strike with the enchanted sabre, and Rollik's rapier was
sent spinning out of his hand and over the bannister, clattering noisily
to the floor below. As the bandit leader raised the sabre for the
killing blow, he saw Rollik raise his arm towards him. One last 
pathetic gesture of defiance, he sneered.
	With a vivid blue flash, the rapier was back in Rollik's hand
and through the leader's heart. The villian gave a puzzled look, then
toppled over backwards down the stairs with the slim sword still 
impaling him, the magical light dying on his falling sabre even as it
died in his eyes. As Rollik clambered to his feet the rapier flashed to
his hand once more, cleaned of blood. He sheathed it smoothly.

As Timelord stepped in the door, wringing his hand, the Gnome began
to stir.


 
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                                |
Steven Cavanagh                 |        So many women-
(Cav)                           |
                                |                      -So little charisma.
scavanag@neumann.une.oz.au      |
                                |
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