Newsgroups: alt.pub.dragons-inn
From: aaron@space.ualberta.ca (Alfvaen)
Subject: New Character: Maleiu [the coast south of Generica]
Message-ID: <1992Jun1.160729.19620@kakwa.ucs.ualberta.ca>
Date: Mon, 1 Jun 1992 16:07:29 GMT


The two slavers stand nervously by the path as twilight deepens into full  
night.  "I don't understand," one of them says.  "Those Rameshanders were  
supposed to be here by now."

The other nods.  "The drug will be wearing off soon, and then how're we  
going to deal with all the meat we brought with us?"

Behind them, a dark shape stirs.  Maleiu's eyes open, and he listens.  He  
hears the slavers talking about their dilemma, and their talk turns to  
stories of the creatures reputed to come out of the sea at darkness.  He can  
hear the sea still, just on his left.  Good, he thinks.  I don't have to  
backtrack, if I followed the coast.

He tests his muscles, tensing and untensing them to remove the stiffness.   
His wrists are bound to a cord, and his ankles hobbled, but as he tests them  
he knows they will give way easily.  The fools were putting all their trust  
in the drug.  His hand scrabbles on the ground and finds a few medium-sized  
rocks.  He won't be able to throw very far, not with his wrists bound, but  
far enough.  He throws them, one after the other, to his left.  They hit  
more loose stones on the rocky beach and sound passably like some creature's  
footsteps disturbing the rocks.

The slavers freeze.  "What was that?" one whispers.

"Shut up!" the other says, his nerves churned into panic.

Then Maleiu tenses his muscles and snaps the cords binding him.  The slavers  
turn towards him, and he screams hideously and gibbers in terror, making  
loud thumping noises as if he was fighting some large creature.  Then he  
stops his screams, and drags himself off the path and down onto the beach.

The slavers are babbling to each other.  "You go!"  "Not a chance!"  "You  
want to explain to the Rameshanders why we're one short?"  "They told us  
they'd meet us here!  It's their fault!"  He can hear the rest of the slaves  
starting to stir feebly, as the excitement removed the last of the already  
degraded effect of the drug.

Maleiu climbs soundlessly back up the beach and slides past the slavers and  
up along the coastal path.  Once he is far enough away, he starts running,  
an easy loping stride.  After a few minutes, he crests a hill, crouching  
down cautiously as he reaches the top so as not to present a silhouette.   
Below him he sees a city.  What city is this? he wonders.  He racks his  
brain trying to recall where Mistletoe and the rest were to meet him.   
Generikah, or something like that.  He wonders if this is it.

Only one way to find out.  He walks down the hill toward what looks like the  
southern gate of the city.

ADMIN: So what's the south half of the city like?  I know from the map that  
Low City is the south-west corner, but if I enter the south gate and follow  
the street north, what am I likely to see?  Has anyone detailed this yet, or  
is it my call?  Reply by e-mail.  (Oh--and it's pronounce Mah-LAY-yoo.)

--
---Alfvaen(a.k.a. Aaron V. Humphrey)
Canadian Network For Space Research, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Her hair spilled out like rootbeer...
Current Album--David Sylvian:Gone To Earth