From alt.pub.dragons-inn Wed Oct 19 08:45:12 1994 Xref: netcom.com alt.pub.dragons-inn:7812 Path: netcom.com!ix.netcom.com!netcomsv!decwrl!spool.mu.edu!howland.reston.ans.net!gatech!usenet.ufl.edu!cybernet.cse.fau.edu!motherc From: motherc@cse.fau.edu (Christopher Motherway) Newsgroups: alt.pub.dragons-inn Subject: [DreamQuest] "Father and Child Reunion..." Date: 17 Oct 1994 16:32:04 GMT Organization: Cybernet BBS, Boca Raton, Florida. Lines: 119 Message-ID: <37u8u4$2rr@cybernet.cse.fau.edu> NNTP-Posting-Host: poseidon.cse.fau.edu X-Newsreader: TIN [version 1.2 PL0] Part three of this thread... STORY SO FAR: The sorceress Blaze took his love, the knight Lance, on a "soul- walk" and, in trying to bring him back to his body, lost him. Lance (or his soul) awakes to look into the eyes of his deceased father... - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - "Father? Is it...is it truly you?!?" Lance could hardly believe his eyes. There he was, staring up at his father's face, as face he had not seen in almost five years now. It simply could not be possible, unless... "Yes, my son," came the reply from the man. "It is I." The man helped Lance to his feet. At that point, Lance looked around at the surroundings. The place looked quite desolate. Grey skies, covered completely with clouds. Mountains appeared in various spots on the horizon. The land they were standing upon was nothing but gravel and dirt. This seemed hardly the place for the souls of people like Corwin Wolf to be in. Lance then took a long look at his father. He was just as he last remembered him: a full head taller than Lance, black mustache and beard, eyes as narrow as arrowheads sometimes. He was dressed in what he was buried in: his uniform from his days as King Kinseeker's man-at-arms. He had left the position because he had fallen in love with a young maiden named Dara, Lance's future mother. "A wonderful cloak, Lance," claimed Corwin. "And with Wolverton's coat-of-arms as well. Ah, yes, I have seen many a cloak such as that come through here. But to see the symbol of my fair city again..." Lance was still quite perplexed. He said, "How...how can this be? How could I be with you...talking to you, unless..." A look of saddened realization came over the knight's face. "I...I am dead, am I not? Blaze...was unable to..." Corwin laughed the hearty laugh he was known throughout the kingdom for. "No, my son," he replied, "you are still very alive. Your body lives on down there." "But, then, where am I? This does not appear to be the 'tranquil resting place of the souls' I was taught about." "You could never get a full grasp on some of those religious teachings, Lance. This is...a kind of...'stop-over' between the realm of the living and that of the dead. A 'limbo' as some of the priests have called it." Looking around again, Lance asked, "Not exactly the most beautiful of 'waiting rooms'." "Waiting what?" "Oh, what a monk in Jurasci called where you wait your turn for treatment during a busy day. So...you are here to escort me to the realm of the dead, are you?" Corwin looked his son dead in the eye and said, "No, Lance. As I have said before, your body is still intact in the living realm. I am here to help you return to your body." "But...how?" "You must join me on a quest. Perhaps the most dangerous and most important one of your life. And, if you fail, then you may never be able to rejoin your soul to your body." Lance was unsure what to think. At first, he had thought that this was some sort of an imposter, a person taking the form of his father in an effort to deceive him. But listening to this man's words, watching his manner, looking deep into his dark eyes, made him want to believe the tale he was spinning. Lance said, "I am listening. What is this quest?" Corwin smiled and, pointing behind him, said, "Many days' journey over those mountains lies the edge of this land. The water at its end is not water, but an abyss, leading either down to a netherworld or across to the living world. The souls of many who have tried to return to the living have be devoured by a beast of some sort. I have seen this beast. I cannot describe it with mere words. It is twice our size, sharp claws and teeth, fast as the fastest horse. I had seen the beast and lived, for I did not engage in battle against it. I was willing to wait for the day when I would get the chance to slay or, at the very least, stun the beast so that I may cross over to a higher plain." "Wait, father," interrupted Lance. "I thought you had said that crossing the abyss would bring one to the land of the living." Corwin replied, "Only for those whose bodies still live, my son. My life ended five years ago by the hand of that traitor Bearwal! I pray he is rotting in hell for his crime!" Lance remembered Bearwal. He was Corwin's best friend and the one who replaced his father as man-at-arms when Corwin stepped down. Bearwal was quite the drinker; he could down half-a-keg in a single night if his body could take it. One night, he and Corwin had an argument over how the men around the castle were positioned. After the recent scuffle with some freelance mercenaries from Bevillsca, Corwin had suggested that more men be positioned on a certain wall to deter any further attack. Bearwal was insulted by this, wondering how Corwin could have the gall to do his job, a job Corwin gave up "for a woman". The two dueled in the street outside of the tavern they had argued in. Even as drunk as Bearwal was, he still managed to overcome Lance's 52-year-old father. When King Kinseeker heard of this outrageous behavior and the killing of Corwin, he had Bearwal killed outright. Lance was there at the execution. He could have never believed that this man, more of an uncle to him than anyone, could do such a deed. Yes, deep in his heart, Lance was likewise hoping Bearwal and Raoh were having a chat in hell right now. Corwin continued. "The mountains are hazardous. I was quite fortunate to have been able to find a way around the mountains the first time I visited them. But the beast created a landslide and the path has been blocked. We must go over the mountains to meet up with the beast. Once it has been rid of, you must wait for some entity to bring you across to the real of the living and back to your body. I will wait for someone to bring me to the realm of the dead where I belong." Corwin then held out his hand and asked, "Are you willing to try, my son? If not, in time, your soul will be carried up to the higher plain. It is your choice." This place, barren as it was, was peaceful. The thought of going into the realm of the dead, to meet his mother, seemed so wonderful to Lance. But...Blaze...how could he possibly leave her? She could be waiting for him at the edge of the abyss right now, hoping to find him and to try, once more, to reunite body and soul. The chance to help his father and regain his life helped Lance make his decision. He grasped Corwin's hand and said, "When do we begin?" Corwin pulled his son close and hugged him. "Right now," he replied into Lance's ear. The embrace was quickly broke and the two souls started out to the mountains. TO BE CONTINUED... - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Chris Wolvie motherc@sunrise.cse.fau.edu Disclaimer: "...we decide what is right, and what is an illusion."-MoodyBlues ============================================================================== Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton (The Rat's Mouth), Florida ============================================================================== Still wondering how the relationships with the DUNGEONS & DRAGONS (The Animated Series) characters were plutonic! ;)