Newsgroups: alt.pub.dragons-inn
From: aaron@space.ualberta.ca (Alfvaen)
Subject: Nirvan & Maleiu: [Low City] Meet up again
Message-ID: <1992Jun18.212322.15317@kakwa.ucs.ualberta.ca>
Date: Thu, 18 Jun 1992 21:23:22 GMT


Nirvan sits in his hidey-hole behind Ratty's and watches the passersby.   
Suddenly his attention is caught by a group coming down the Arcade of  
Unforgotten Heroes.  The first to catch his eye is a tall black man.  There  
are three or four others as well, that Nirvan recalled seeing around the  
Dragon's Inn.  And, most importantly, there is Kron.

This is great!  The black man...Nirvan thinks hard for his name.   
Mallayoo?...is bringing Kron to meet him!  But what are all the others there  
for?  Oh, of course.  Kron probably figured somebody was going to try to kill  
him.  Especially if, as rumour said, he was out to find Creft's >real< killer,  
and redeem his name...

Nirvan frowns.  Of course, if it was't Kron who'd killed Creft, then Kron's  
popularity should've been dropping in Low City.  But it wasn't.  Witness that  
Captain fellow who'd stirred up that whole mob in Kron's name.  Mobs were bad  
news, and Nirvan was glad he'd wriggled free of that one in time.  He shrugs.   
There was no accounting for Low City thinking.

Kron and Malayoo and the others draw closer.  Kron is scrutinizing a  
particular rainbarrel in the alley, pointing it out to the others for some  
reason.  And then there's a sudden movement from the rainbarrel, right across  
from Nirvan's hole.  Was that >Natter<?

The figure goes out of view of Nirvan for a second, so he throws caution to  
the wind and cranes his head out.  Yes, that was Natter.  Kron is shouting for  
them not to let him escape...and Malayoo dives after him.  Boy, he could move!   
Then one of the others somehow appears right in Natter's path, and there is a  
tangled collision.  Malayoo and the other return holding Natter in a quite  
undignified manner.  Then Malayoo's eyes flash his way, and Nirvan knows he  
has been seen.  Malayoo lets go of Natter, makes some excuse to Kron, and  
walks toward the alley.  Well, it isn't nightfall yet, but this is where they  
were supposed to meet...so, what the heck.  Maybe he could get Malayoo to  
bring Kron in.  He pulls himself out of his hidey-hole and drops lightly to  
the ground.

***************************************************************************

Maleiu enters the alley to find Nirvan waiting for him.  He pulls Nirvan's  
knife out of his belt and proffers it to the youth hilt-first.  "This is  
yours, I believe."

Nirvan takes it absently.  "Thanks!"  This was weird.  In Low City you never  
gave anything back once you took it...he'd resigned himself to the loss.  They  
must think differently in the Dark Continent, he thinks.  He looks up at  
Maleiu.  "Do you know Kron?"

Maleiu is caught slightly off-guard.  "Uh...yes, I do.  He's just outside  
there, in fact--but you probably know that by now. Why?"

Nirvan is suddenly embarrassed.  "I don't know.  Just curious."  He reverts to  
his more businesslike demeanor.  "So, you were trying to get a hold of me.   
Was it just to give me back my dagger, or did you have something else in  
mind?"

Maleiu smiles at Nirvan's directness.  "Actually, yes, I did.  Kron is trying  
to find a killer."

"Creft's, right?  Oh, don't look surprised.  We know what's going on, or at  
least I do.  It's my business to keep track of these things."  He giggles  
briefly--he could see Kron playing Pattycake with Natter out in the street.   
That would do his rep a lot of good...  Maleiu turns briefly to look, then  
turns back to Nirvan.

"Apparently the rainbarrel where that man was hiding has something to do with  
Creft.  It was the last place Kron saw Creft--he left him there when he was  
looking for Dougl, the boy that the Rameshandar slavers kidnapped..."

Nirvan nods.  He was familiar with the Dougl story.  He turns thoughtful for a  
moment.  "Hmmm...Natter's been hanging around here a lot lately.  Nobody pays  
too much attention to him, except to throw things at him, but ever since that  
Dougl thing he's been here a lot, staring at the rainbarrel and muttering.  He  
must know something.  Kron's certainly trying novel means to get it out of  
him, though."  He starts out of the alley.  "C'mon.  If Kron wants to ask some  
questions, he can ask me.  I owe him a lot--and you, for that matter."

Maleiu follows, wondering about Nirvan's calculation of debt.  He would have  
to get that explained to him later.

They emerge from the alley in time to see Natter's death.  As the three  
Wasters step around the corner, Nirvan freezes.  These guys are bad news, he  
knows that much.  But they've seen him now.  He can't run.  He has to hope  
that Kron and his friends--and Maleiu--are a match for these guys.

Maleiu turns grim.  He readies his spear, and checks that his bola is within  
easy reach.  He doesn't know who these...people are, but they obviously intend  
harm to Kron.  And he's not about to leave him to that fate.  He just wishes  
Nirvan wasn't here...

ADMIN:  Fight!  Fight!

So who are these guys again?  And how exactly are we running the fight?

--
---Alfvaen(a.k.a. Aaron V. Humphrey)
Canadian Network For Space Research, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
No continent is an island.
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