From: jgreene@dorm.rutgers.edu (Jeffrey Greene) Newsgroups: alt.pub.dragons-inn Subject: Re: [Ga] Dreamscape 3 Message-ID: Date: 22 Sep 92 15:43:36 GMT References: <1992Sep21.200857.10011@ccd.harris.com> mba@controls.ccd.harris.com (Belinda Asbell) writes: >Khisanth sits and stares at the wall of thorns, trying to figure out how the >wall could be breached. There is magick, but the wall itself is not purely >magickal. >Perhaps if the magick were dealt with first, the physical wall itself could be >breached. >Suddenly, she hears laughter....a malicious laugh which sends chills down her >spine. She turns in the direction of the laugh... And so does Dusk, still perched on Khisanth's shoulder. The air seems much colder now, the sense of evil deepens. >... and sees a tall, darkhaired man standing there. His eyes are dark and >evil-looking, and his beard makes him look almost diabolical. >He walks toward her, and she backs up. He continues to advance.... >Khisanth backs up, and suddenly she feels sharp pricks in her back. She turns >her head, and finds herself backed up against the thornwall. The diabolical >man, laughing, brandishes a knife. He is almost upon her. She screams as >the knife swings down..... Suddenly, his perch is gone. Flapping his wings to prevent his fall, Dusk wheels about, frantically searching for Khisanth, who has vanished. The bearded man looks at him. The raven has never felt so helpless, so alone. Not since Zebron had some bad luck, got turned into a statue, and it was up to Dusk to get him restored. But the bird had succeeded then, and would not give up now. With Khisanth gone, there was no way for Dusk to leave the mindscape, a favorite "playground" of his. However he could only tag along when someone else travelled to and from the mindscape. He had never even considered that it was possible for him to be trapped there, for Khisanth to vanish (gone? dead?), for him to never see his dark elven friend again. Damn it all. There was no way this raven would go down without a fight. Dusk flew straight at the head of the bearded man, buffetting the man's face with his wings, scratching with his claws, trying to peck his eyes out. Zebron had always told him to avoid combat, if at all possible, for the Drow could not bear to lose his oldest true friend. But this fiend had killed Khisanth and now he'll never see her, Zebron, or anyone else again. He would remained trapped in Garriot's mind forever, but at least he would avenge Khisanth's death, or die trying. Suddenly, a shadow appears on the ground. Dusk breaks off the attack, wheeling upward to look at this new foe. A foe more his size - and shape. A tawny hunting hawk flew straight at him. Dusk flew for all he was worth, trying to escape from this new enemy. He was only a raven. An intelligent, handsome raven, but a raven nonetheless. And he wouldn't be that way for long if that hawk, bred for hunting, killing, destroying, ever caught up with him. The shadow slowly gained. Dusk dared not look back, flying at top speed he did not want to give an inch to his pursuer. However the hawk had other plans, stealing inch by inch those Dusk would never give up willingly. A scream! The hawk was upon him. Dusk turned, knowing his time was up but wanting to try to hurt this hawk, trying to avenge Khisanth's death as well as his own. The bearded man laughed, and Dusk looked at him, seeing him framed by a mountain aerie where he knew the hawk must roost, where the hawk must call home. The talons ripped into his ebon form, and Dusk felt his life slipping away... ...only to appear above the door in the Dragon's Inn, where he had left his body in order to travel with Khisanth. With Khisanth... if he... maybe she... Dusk begins squawking and screeching, knowing that he cannot go past the wards to enter the room, but realizing he must get in. -jak