From: shaun@csc.liv.ac.uk (Shaun Hovers)
Newsgroups: alt.pub.dragons-inn
Subject: [G] Wanderer armours up, rides and strikes!
Message-ID: <6347@m1.cs.man.ac.uk>
Date: 5 Oct 92 00:30:12 GMT


	Dawn had not yet broken when one of the black clad table occupants 
  returned to his chair. Not only had the man known as Wanderer rested, 
  but he had also aquired some new equipment. The first additions rested in
  sheaths down his legs, four thin bladed knives of various lengths, black
  handled and almost invisible against his dark armour. On his back, a solid
  pack, the shafts of arrows rising from open boxes at the left and right 
  sides, five arrows in each, obviously for use with the short bow resting
  unstrung in his hand. Extra scabbards fixed into the pack's back hold his 
  seemingly ever present two shortswords in their usual places at his 
  shoulders. The final addition is a pouch which now hangs from his pocketed
  belt. Around the belt are several normal daggers spaced out evenly.
    
       Moving to the bar, Wanderer again orders wine and pays, sipping at it,
  he seems to think carefully and asks Littlefair for a bottle to take out. 
  Recieving this he moves to the table and sits with those who have not moved
  since taking their places. All is silence until Kordane re-enters the inn
  asking for help with a horse he has just 'acquired' from a merchant in town.
  Wanderer, thinking of the 'persuasion' the elders inflicted on Kordane the 
  night before and finding in it some similarity with his own position, agrees
  to give him a crash course. Wanderer then leaves with Kordane to return just
  before dawn.  [ADMIN: See Kordane's next post for more..]

      Precisely as the sun just begins to glimmer on the horizon, Glysten 
  appears and with just two words ( "We ride" ) creates more activity from
  those seated at the table than was seen from them the entire day before.
  Wanderer helps Kordane gear his horse while
  preparing his own - a large black mare
  which seems eager to travel. Before mounting, he exchanges the carried bow
  for another which is held in a clip on the saddle and strings this one.
  The pack comes off his back and is also clipped to the saddle balancing
  out another similarly sized pack on the opposite side. The only other
  supplies visible on the horse are a length of rope and a quiver of arrows.
  Finally before mounting the two shortswords are removed from the rear of
  the pack and placed in their normal soft leather scabbards. 

      When all are ready the group rides, Wanderer falling in behind Kordane,
  watching during the ride and commenting to try to improve his rapidly
  developing riding skills. This was the only sound as the others of the group 
  rode in near silence.

    Suddenly the motion of the ride is halted as Glysten is struck by a
 crossbow bolt and falls from his horse. Wanderer immediately sees the 
 assailants - a group of lizard men descending on the party from the roadsides.
 'Damn ' he thought 'Why didn't we think of scouting ahead?. Next time...'
  Moving as he thinks, an arrow is drawn from the quiver by his side and fired
 towards a lizardman nearby, holding a crossbow ready to fire.
 The arrows's target looks down in surprise as 
 it passes easily through his scaley hide and embeds itself in the upper
 right section of his torso. As the body crumples onto the ground Wanderer slips
 from his horse, drops his bow and draws his matched pair of swords ready to
 meet the two creatures racing towards him with clubs ready to avenge their
 fellow lizardman's death.
 A grin lights up the Wanderer's features as the two close in and he runs
 forward to meet their charge. 
 Before contacting however he leaps into the air over their
 heads rolling and turning to land at their rear. One never realises what 
 happens as he halts in astonishment and quickly recieves one of the Wanderers
 blades through his back which kills him instantly. As the creatures body falls
 sliding off the blade his comrade turns, a look of what might be fear 
 crossing his face.
 "Do we need one of these things alive for questioning?" The Wanderer yells 
 across to the others in the group.