From: 344LWKC@CMUVM.CSV.CMICH.EDU (Mike Sander)
Newsgroups: alt.pub.dragons-inn
Subject: [DQ] SunStorm,Week 6 --Babe Alert
Date: 27 Aug 92 17:06:33 GMT
Organization: Central Michigan University

[ADMIN: This is posted for Patrick, who is back <YEAH!>, but still cannot
 (easily?) post to a.p.d-i <Sob!>.]

===========================================================================
THE DRAGONQUEST: WEEK 6 (OK, so week 5 lasted 2 weeks. So what?)

"In which the Blue Lady comes in, the Sword gets drunk, the Ranger feels
better and cares for his friend, a Vampire remembers but can't put his
finger on it, a holographic simulation yields strange results, an invasion
passes out peacefully unnoticed, and a fighter doesn't read a book."

Characters: ShockWave, 'Raelf, Kadrys, Lancos, Valgar, Alita.

What has gone before:

SunStorm gathered a small group of heroes to help him find his friend
TrueSilver the Dragon who mysteriously disappeared. The group gathered
material and information. SunStorm went to see a seeress and the
DragonQuest began with a foreboding of evil and dread in the form of
strange riddles (way back in week 1).

Then the group learned aobut someone in dark plate mail who attacked
SunStorm and then Lancos. Valgar found a strange old book which seems
related to the Quest, and could help locate a magical cave which
rendered its previous discoverer crazy. Lancos found about a cemetary
in the south where TrueSilver was.

The group reunites again to exchange information, and bizarrely another
'Raelf from the future shows up, and remains mostly silent. Then fate
takes the upper hand: the group "meets" the Pyracubic Diamond, a weird
polydimensional magical construct which enthralls those who look at it.
'Raelf managed to destroy it, but not before SunStorm's very soul is
sucked into it. Then Krastin, the one in dark plate mail, shouts something
about the gate being broken and having to wait until the new moon, which
happens to be in only a few days. In his rage, he attacks, and orders a
horde of gargoyles to attack. The fight that ensues is literally a
rock-shaking event, with the party managing barely to have the upper hand.

Lancos drives Krastin off, 'Raelf reveals himself to being NOT human at all,
ShockWave now inhabits SunStorm's damaged body. Healing takes place, and
the group goes back to the inn for a well deserved rest. Dinner is served,
and 'Raelf starts the analysis program of the recording he did of the
Pyracubic Diamond. Then he empties and distributes (how generous) his
reserve of spare magical low-power items, giving Valgar a magical weapon
and everybody in the group magical stones of protection. Then he shows the
group how to play a new drinking game which I never got to understand,
and I'm still sober! :-)

Anyway...
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
She was still outside, looking at what was left of the mess they did.
The Glittering Steel Plaza was very dark now that the action had stopped
and everybody had gone inside, but she could still easily see the rubbles
on the ground. This group of adventurers did a very good job on them. She
likes that. They seem to be better than she though at first, but so what,
this just makes it more interesting. She prefers her men to be strong and
imposing anyway, not ugly wimps like those gargoyles...

She didn't care further about the wreckage, as the morning would bring
those responsible to take care of the cleaning anyway, or maybe a selless
mage would take care of it while sleepwalking...

She first went back to her place to pick up things, and took care of some
unfinished business. She then came back to the plaza.

She almost laughed at her own smile and went inside...
- - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"Doouuuuuuuu... burp. Thiiisss boooodyyy reallllllllllllhips hazzzalot
ovzstrange feelings..." said SunStorm as he was starting to slip off
under the table.

Although externally he didn't move at all, Kadrys couldn't help but smile
mentally at the scene. Seeing the sword trying to deal with the needs of
a bilologic being and failing miserably was so incongruous that it looked
almost pathetic, or funny, depending on the point of view.

"I told you not to drink too much!" Lancos said to the 4 feet high giant.
ShockWave replied firmly, holding an empty bottle of strong wine in each
hand, his back pressed against the legs of the chair and the table. "I
jidun't schrdrinnk tooooo much! Hic! I know shunshtorm... he
ccannnnnnnndrinkalot! Sheee?" He pointed at the other bottles on the floor.
"Thaash rinking game sure wash fun! I wasnj't to playj jagain! Hips!"

'Raelf looked at his younger self. He remembers that the first time there
had been a bar fight, because some patrons accused the group that they
caused the trouble in the plaza. Maybe the fact that he himself was there
added enough strangeness or potential firepower to the party to discourage
such a course of action. Good. This means that when Alita comes in, things
are bound to happen differently too. Maybe the group will not try to kill
her like the first time. The first time, it took too long before he --and
the rest of the party-- realized which side she really was on. 'Raelf
thought about the Dark Master again, and how this malevolent being made the
DragonQuestors suffer, some of them very badly. And the deaths he's seen were
nothing to remember fondly. "This time, you won't win so easily..."

'Raelf looked at his older self, and couldn't manage to rid himself of the
feeling of uneasiness that went along with it. It wasn't the first time that
such a situation occured and that he met his own future or past self, but this
time he feels that whatever happened to him... was going to... will happen to
himself, was serious enough to change him. The future 'Raelf was too quiet,
and 'Raelf pondered about paradoxes for a while.

Valgar and Lancos had played the "new" game too, but they had more than
enough experience at being a living being of flesh and blood to be able to
know where to stop. ShockWave was definitely going to remember his first day
as a biological being very long, because he'll be sick as hell tonight for
sure... But then again, maybe not: SunStorm always had been a great drinker,
and sometimes no matter what the mind does, the body just knows best. The
diminutive giant was already starting to fall asleep, and every now and then
he would start to doze off. It was true that it was beginning to be very late:
most of the patrons had left or went to bed already.

"Come, SunStorm, I guess you'd be better off in a room with a real bed." said
Lancos, trying to help the reduced giant on his two feet.

"M'not shick! Jee? I mann very clear heahded! Shee? I cun walk onna straight
line, betjeen these two poles..."

"There is only ONE pole, 'Wave. Now, come on before the ogre pass the mop over
your beard... God, you are HEAVY! Are you made of stone or what? Valgar, I
think I'll need a little help here... I could move him alone without that much
of a problem, but just in case."

"I'm coming... Hmpf, <ooof> it's true he's somewhat dense. He's not a
half-stone giant for nothing! It's lucky for us he's only 4 feet high!"

"Shokay, shokay, I'm coming, me coming... shesh, no need to shout jo loud!
Ann me not densh, I'm light headed, thass all! Oohhhh, me head jiz ringing
bells... bing bong... uhu, thatssn't my head!"

Effectively, a tonal ringing sound was coming from the center table. At the
same time something on 'Raelf Elder made a low "mi-mi-mi-mip", like those
alarm watches in today's world, and he hummed something for himself, so low
that only Kadrys heard it "here she comes, right on time. Now let's see what
they'll do. It should prove interesting.", he thought.

Kadrys answered SunStorm's question for everybody: "That's 'Raelf's
atrolabe, it's finished its analysis!"

'Raelf practically jumped. "Finally!" He moved toward the delicate
instrumentations, just as a new patron... a very good looking one, and
strange looking one, entered the inn.

She had a very charming smile. Her most striking feature was of course her
blue skin, like a sky without a single cloud. Her red ample long hairs were
stunning. The way she walked exuded a feminity which affirmed its assurance
and determination. Her eyes gleamed as the light from inside the inn
reflected in them, showing an invitation to untold secrets. Her smile lifted
a little on one sides, and more on the other, as if she was at the same time
admiring those inside and wanting to laugh with them.

"Hello, boys! Recognize me? I'm sure you don't!" She laughed lightly this
time, in a sort of innocent and sweet way. Kadrys then thought he remembered
her. He was sure he heard that laugh before, but when?

One of the few patrons lef tried to invite the girl...

"Good night, my sweet lady. Your skin color is most interesting. Wouldn't
you like me to offer to refreshment?"

"Well, thank you, my dear, but I must unfortunately decline the offer. I
have other... friends... to meet first. Maybe later?"

"Now, surely your friends can wait..."

"Oh, surely." That's when he was promptly pushed back, and went rear
walking and came crashing in a table.
"What's the matter, don't you like strong women? Hi Hi!"

The friends of the guy teased him: "Ha, Jack, ya can't even get respect
from a woman, now?"

"Bah, she ain't my type. Wrong skin color."

"Sure, Jack, sure... now, come back here and draw..."

Alita quickly forgot about the jerk and turned her attention toward 12
eyes who looked at her. She walked toward them.

"Who's that girl?" asked Valgar, meaning more "What does that babe think
she's doing?" than aking a real question.

ShockWave, being supported from both sides by his friends, saw the two real
good looking females with blue skin approaching. Now he really was hearing
ringing. "Dooooon DOOOOOONG D*O*O*O*O*O*O*N*N*N*N*G*G*G!!!" Loud church
bells ringing in his head. "I think I'm gonna get a headache". He tried to
regain his composure, to affirm that he was able to stand all by his own and
shaked his reins. Lancos and Valgar both reacted mechanically and let go of
him, thinking he was able to stand.

ShockWave made a step toward Alita. She was creating in him strange
feelings... "She's... she's..."

Alita arrived near ShockWave. "What's the matter, shorty? Cat got your
tongue? Mnnn, you don't seem too well. I'd say, you seem like you really
need to sleep. My! I could push you, and you'd fall!"

And she did, like a little girl doing something nasty, she poked at him...
a little too hard.
"See?"

ShockWave lost his balance. He was not feeling well at all. And he didn't
like her at all.
"ooooohh.... <plunk>"

Lancos quickly looked after ShockWave.
"He's out cold. Probably the drinks, he was pretty much out of it already."

"Ha, that makes me remember the first hangover I had. I'd been drinking
three full bottles of Hydromel in half an hour! I was only twelve. Boy, I
was really sick on that one! Guess you'll have to bring him somewhere
else... You do that while I go see your other friends. See you later,
handsomes!" She turned toward Valgar. "Wow, what big muscles. Did you know
that I LIKE strong men? Of course you did! See you later, my big beard..."
And she looked at Lancos. "Ha, don't you be jealous now, I haven't forgotten
you. I like the color of your hairs..." she then passed him a note of paper,
and told him: "That's a secret. From me. For you. Don't tell it to anyone...
I'll explain later, cute man."

She then smiled and walked toward 'Raelf. The Elder one. She stopped in
front of him for a second.
"So, you ain't gonna say hi to an old friend? Well, I'll do it for you."

She immediately kissed him. Quickly and lightly, right on the nose.
"See, that was easy. No problem, I like you anyway... Huh, can't you smile,
my dear? Hah, don't fear. After all, I don't carry YOUR baby!"

She smiled again, and continued and met 'Raelf again, but not the same 'Raelf.
"Hello. Wow, what a nice looking thing. Let me touch?"

"..."

"Ha, no problem. It's fragile or something, so you want nobody to touch it
except you. I can understand that. No problem, I'll wait until you're asleep.
Teee hee, only joking! Say is that your big brother?" She pointed at 'Raelf
Elder. She then murmured something in 'Raelf ears: "He's good looking, but,
well, I like you better anyway... and remember, there aren't many girls who
know where you're going!"

She then jumped up and spinned towards Kadrys, in one straight movement.
Her eyes became less joking and more asking.

"So, Kadrys, don't tell me you don't recognize me! It's true that for you
it  must have been like ages. What's it been, how many hundred... or is it
thousand... years already? Don't ask me to tell you, I've only live through
a tiny fraction of it. A little after I last saw you I got tangled in that
sordid white circle affair, and a mage trapped us on a spellamming trip.
You know how I like to travel, well anyway the fool got us near a black star
and we zoomed past it so fast that time itself nearly froze for us. When we
finally managed to kick him out and come back, I don't know how many centuries
have passed but hom wasn't home anymore. Well, when I heard you were in
Generica I just couldn't pass the opportunity to go meet one of the few
beings from my era still alive after all that time. So, how are you doing
these days? You don't seem to have changed a bit, I mean physically... Well,
you know I udge only from the *surface* now, but anyway... what has changed
may be more profound than that, he? Back then, you couldn't manage with
nothing less than a royal castle and the kingdom that goes with it. Ha, I'm
glad anyway. I never really liked that evil worshipping sect of yours..."

Now, that takes him back. Kadrys at first still doesn't recall anything of
what she says. It's true that Kadrys has tried so hard to forget SOME things
from his dark past that he doesn't easily remember them anymore. But he's
sure he has already met her. Or that she already met him.

Alita approached him *very* closely. "I don't care if you don't remember
me. I'm sure.. it will all come back... when..." She leaned forward for a
long dep kiss...

'Raelf finally took a moment to look at the flashing runic display on the
astrolabe, deciphering its meaning.
"By the Great Void!", he shouted. It wasn't often he was surprised like that.

Everybody turned toward him, even Alita.

"You know, do you really know how bad your bloody rotten timing is?"


In the background somewhere in Generica, an invasion goes unnoticed...
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Krastin quaffs yet another healing potion. He then goes over his plans again,
and another time after that. He is sure the Dark Master will be proud of his
work. And he has just started yet. He still has three days until the gate
resurfaces in the cave, as it does each year at this new moon. The fact that
the first attack failed was unfortunate. If that blasted flying "mage" hadn't
broken the gate instance, everybody on the plaza would have been sucked in.
Then Krastin's servants on the other side would have joined the gargoyles and
the attack would have been a sure success. The elementalist magics of that
Traveller wouldn't have helped him then. As long as they are in Generica, this
mage is and will stay Krastin's prime target.

Yes, the plan is flawless [ADMIN: Yeah, right!]. It will work, and they will
all be crushed! Krastin puts off his dark helm, and we would see an evil grin
on his face... were it not so scarred that it look instead like flappy sheets
of charred skin over yellowish bone. Krastin quaffs another does from the
painkiller. Only three of them left. Like his potions, one for each of them.
And he must succeed in three days, or else... No, he WILL succeed, of course.
It can't be any other way. There is no other way.

Yes, the Dark Master will be pleased. When Krastin succeeds, maybe the Dark
Master will finally recognize how good a servant Krastin is, and transform
him into a Black Knight. Then Krastin will have enough power to stop being
the Dark Master's puppet, and then he'll show them! Yes!

Outside, those still awake in Low City can suddenly hear a maniacal laughter
booming out from an abandoned house. AN hysterical evil laughter, which goes
on and on, bordering or craziness. Krastin's laughter.

SAQ: "Yo&u$ da$re`%d st#r#09ike a@n# In78fin$%5itor! N$#5ow yu$%u
      sha34l pay5 f4444 y78u#$r outr`%$`a%g$#e!!!"
      (The ElseWhere Prince, Moebius)

Patrick "Paradak" Rannou   Rannou@info.polymtl.ca
============================================================================

Michael Sander 344lwkc@cmuvm.csv.cmich.edu
AKA Lancos Erredan