Newsgroups: alt.pub.dragons-inn From: hutch@hutch (Stephen Hutchison) Subject: [Between Threads] Closing Doors and Locking Them Message-ID: <1992Aug5.054449.10536@intelhf.hf.intel.com> Date: Wed, 5 Aug 92 05:44:49 GMT Characters: Just 'Raelf (and a mad dwarf) this time. Time: the afternoon after Marcel's language lesson. ==== 'Raelf ran his hands through his hair, pulling all but a few locks into a short tail, and whispered a quick cantrip - ::-Singing of finding, sparkle or flashing, golden binding, silver lashing-:: and a flicker of light wove into a clasp holding it in place. Fashion plate, he chided himself. Way GQ. Been too long in LA, 'Raelf. He pulled at the leather thong around his neck, retrieving a small and intricate clasp of some dull metal holding fast an amber-colored length of transparent material, which glowed faintly with internal light. <> A list appeared, in tiny rune-figures, stacked in air above the amulet. 1) Remember to randomize Marcel's entry point 2) Find cause of local temporal instability 3) Language lessons 4) Check on account at D-I 5) Clean out the workroom "Huh. Thought there were more than that. <>" He walked over to the bulletin board and removed the note asking for language lessons, then went the bar where LittleFair was polishing glasses. "Did anyone ever reply to this note?" he asked, when that worthy gentleman came down to his end. "Nope. You still need lessons?" "Not any more. What's my account look like?" "Oh, you've used up about a third. By the way, are you twins or something? I was gonna ask last night when that weird shit went off in the Square, and forgot until now." "No, I'm not twins. It's just that time is kind of twisted up around here." "Are you going to be doing any more of that stuff like you did to the Lizard?" "What, you mean, eating your customers?" 'Raelf smiled the ghost of a grin. "Is that what it was? Looked pretty awful from here. Did seem to make a lot of people thirsty though. Still, keep that kind of thing out of the main room, if you would." "For sure, kahuna." A brief stroll down the Dragon's Way to Minggung's Magic Shoppe showed him nothing new in that part of town. He went inside, bartered for a few minutes with the proprietor, and came out with a bag of powder. "What a *nice* day," he said, stepping over the bones of some dead animal in the gutter. "Well, now I guess it's time to find the Scrappy Ram." He looked around. There was a short alleyway, with nobody hiding in it. He went inside - FLICK - and a hummingbird flew straight up out of the alley. This was tiring - this form has to eat a LOT or it gets very weak - but he was able to stop at a hanging garden on the way, and fed on the nectar of an incredibly lush plant, carefully avoiding its teeth. Some other flying creatures had been less successful. A few minutes later he was buzzing past a place where no flowers would consider trying to grow. The odor of smoke led him past a burned building, one of the landmarks he'd been told to look for. There, just down the block, a ramshackle building, well-ventilated in wall and roof, with the broken horn of a sheep dangling stupidly by one chain, and a short, very foul-mouthed person reminiscent of a dwarf, but much uglier, kicking trash (human and otherwise) out the front door. This must be the much esteemed Verdigren. He buzzed back into an alley, this one much darker than the one by the magic shop. There were two dead men doing rude things to each other, mostly stuck together by their intestines. Lovely. He hovered in place, looking around carefully. No sign of visible magic, no other creatures. Safe to change... FLICK - the blond surfer in black hakama and poncho walked out of the alley. He looked curiously, but not threateningly, at the Ram and at the street in front of it. As he was looking, the dwarf returned, carrying a large armful of broken barrelstaves. "What you lookin at, pretty boy?" he sneered, too tired to think of anything more insulting as yet. He threw the splintered wood to the ground and snatched twin axes from his belt. 'Raelf smiled absently. "Did you see a big guy, shiny armor, come out of a hole in the air here?" "I ain't seen shit, til you walked up. Then I saw some," the dwarf laughed, a humorless noise that had no music to it. 'Raelf turned his back to the dwarf, opening his senses. There was considerable noise on the elemental harmonics, especially in water. And air - someone had called on lightning around here. And there was a nasty warping... "HEY - YOU - Pretty-boy!" the dwarf spat, and flung a bit of nicely aged garbage from the heap before him, at the blond man. A slight sidestep (looking quite accidental) and it sailed past him unnoticed. ... where was I, oh yes, a nasty warping of continuum lines here going off ... uh, have to check the map ... The dwarf began to go purple. He took careful aim, and sent the first axe of two heading at the back of the man's head. Except that the man turned, at that moment, catching the axe out of the air, and looked straight at him. "Say, do you know a guy named Verdigen? Short, kinda ugly, bad temper, got beat up last night?" He tossed the axe back to the dwarf. The dwarf's jaw dropped open, then snapped shut. Very quietly he turned and went back inside. "Truly verminous little dude," 'Raelf said, shaking his head. He pulled the recorder from under his poncho. <> There was a clatter from inside. "WHERE THE HELL IS IT??!!" 'Raelf shrugged to himself. "Nutcase," he said. The map showed a swirl of colors reminiscent of the two-dimensional mandelbrot set. But this was in seven, if you knew how to look. 'Raelf knew, and he looked carefully, then compared it to what he saw around him. "Huh. There's four separate holes here. What a bitch. I've just barely got enough glue for one." A small explosion came from within the remains of the Scrappy Ram, followed by a shout of triumph. Moments later, the slightly singed dwarf appeared at the door. Bloody foam flecked his beard. He spat. He glared. He pointed a stick at 'Raelf. "I've got you this time! You Dragon's Inn think you can just come down here and on us just because we in Low City. Well, I'll show you. You know what this is?" He waved the stick threateningly. "This is my baby, this is. This is how I got this bar. This is how I destroyed that mage Durning. Shrunk him down to the size of a doll and fed him to my pet ferret." He pointed the stick at 'Raelf. "Your turn. ABSARKA" 'Raelf stared, delighted, as a stream of butterflies erupted from the dwarf's mouth and nose. "YOU HAVE ONE!" he shouted. "A continuum key! You have one! Can I borrow that please," he said to the choking, sputtering dwarf, and gently relieved him of the wand. The dwarf thrashed helplessly, spewing white butterflies out of every orifice of his head. He walked over to the spot where Marcel had appeared, and twisted the tip of the wand into the air until it disappeared except for the bit he held in his hand. "Absah'rqa!" he said, and twisted the wand. The wormhole vanished. He walked past the dwarf, who had gotten through the cabbage butterflies and was now emitting yellow swallowtails. A twist into the holes created by Moriarty, and the holes vanished. And one final twist, in the back room, where the joystiks had been stored, and a very old, very secret hole vanished. He walked past the dwarf, who swung a fist past him, spewing forth monarch butterflies, then gagging and spitting faster from the horrible bitter taste. "Here, thank you for the use of your key," he said, and FLICK a hummingbird flew up, circling, looking for the way back to the Inn. ==== "Views 7 and 8. The Appearance of Hoeizan." Hutch ('Raelf)