Newsgroups: alt.pub.dragons-inn
From: aaron@space.ualberta.ca (Aaron Humphrey)
Subject: [MI] Alfvaen[???]: Dissolution And Reconciliation
Message-ID: <1992Oct21.142825.22136@kakwa.ucs.ualberta.ca>
Date: Wed, 21 Oct 1992 14:28:25 GMT

Alfvaen could already feel his body starting to fade, only seconds after he
tossed the amulet to Little Rat.  He interposed his body between Noctu and Rat,
for lack of anything better to do with it.  More and more of him seemed to be
moving along with Rat, though, although his perceptions there were a bit
strange.

Noctu cursed at him in what sounded like Drow.  He tried to ask Lassiviren for
a translation, but he couldn't find him anywhere.  No, wait, there he was, over
with Rat.  But he's muttering so quietly, I can't hear him yet.  He's getting
louder, though...

Then he could only feel his body in the vaguest of ways.  It wasn't anything
solid and permanent.  Why had he thought it was?  No, here was where he really
was, and had been all along.  <Hello, Lassiviren.>

<Hello, Alfvaen.  I hope you know that I'm hoping to be dropped.  I'm all ready
to take over as soon as you're completely gone.  If only that Little Rat's life
force wasn't in the way...>

<Be more than that soon, Neri.>

<What?  You're not planning on...>

Then several things happened at once.

 From inside the amulet, the perception of them used several unfamiliar senses.
But Alfvaen felt the last traces of his body follow him into the amulet, and
the presence of Little Rat disappeared to be replaced with another.  Different,
but somehow familiar.  And then the other presence started to enter into the
amulet, with great haste--much faster than Alfvaen's leisurely re-entry had
been.  Another soul was coming to join them.  Alfvaen knew that this should be
important, but he was still feeling quite detached.  He noticed abstractly that
there was no sense of crowding with the additional soul coming in, and wondered
how many would fit in here.

<Hello,> he said to the new presence.

<Hello?  Alfvaen?  Is that you?> said a familiar voice.

Alfvaen suddenly snapped back from his detachment.  <Elstree!  So it worked!>

<What happened?>  Then--  <Where's Aditi?  I can't find her!>

<No more could I the Demon Queen, at first,> Lassiviren put in helpfully.

<Who was that?>

<Calm down, Elstree,> Alfvaen said in the most soothing tone he could muster.
<You were on the verge of death, but this amulet saved your soul from going on
further.  It belongs to Azpiazu the Trickster, which may be why you can't
contact your goddess.  Our souls are in his domain now.  But we can manifest
our bodies from here.  One at a time.>  He tried to do so, but to no avail.
Then he remembered something else Urcohea had said.  <There had to be a
majority vote for someone to manifest.  Lassiviren is the other one in here.
He was a drow, a servant of the Demon Queen and an assassin.  When we went to
face Faenye in the City of the Dead, I found the amulet.  Faenye slew me, and
Lassiviren emerged from the amulet, and left the City of the Dead to find
himself here.  He was killed by bandits, and I re-emerged.  I came with a woman
named Delmara who was looking for you...>

<Oh, yes, Delmara.  She was kind.>

Then a sudden feeling, submerged for months, bubbled to the surface.  <Elstree,
I killed you, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I love you...>

<Hush, beloved.  I forgive you.  I forgave you long ago, even when I was
feeling the first freedom from pain.  Aditi promised we would meet again.
I was reborn into Generica, and grew up--quite swiftly--in Delmara's care, for
this very moment.  I wouldn't wonder that this was all planned.>

<Probably by Azpiazu.  He's a tricky one.  He's the same as Erevan Ilesere, or
at least another aspect of him.  And dozens of others.>

<Excuse me, if I may interrupt this lovefest-->

<What?>

<Is somebody going to take over and manifest?  We're sitting out on a Low City
street right now.>

<How did that happen?>

<We teleport to the nearest safe place when absorbing a soul.  Remember?  So
here we are.  And--too late.  Idiots.>

They could all feel it--a presence, outside.  Someone had picked up the
amulet.  And none of them could manifest until they were put down.

<Elstree, be ready.  When we get the chance, support me.  I'll manifest, and
get us out of this.>

<Of course, beloved.>

***

Pork surveyed with pleasure the object he'd found.  It was clean and bright and
shiny.  It probably wouldn't stay that way for long--they never did--but it
was nice for now.  He could probably sell it to some fence and get a bundle.
Snort would be happy--Grunge had always been one of the poorer gangs in the Low
City, and was being edged out by a lot of others, until they only had this
narrow strip by the Arcade.  Maybe things would look up now.  He sent his fat
body scurrying to Spelkort the Fence's office...

--
---Alfvaen(Canadian SF Quasi-Activist)
"Does it ever seem like the brain disorders you have just aren't enough to keep
 you amused anymore?"  --Dr. Strychnine
Current Album--Cyndi Lauper:A Night To Remember
Current Read--Andre Norton:No Night Without Stars