Newsgroups: alt.pub.dragons-inn Subject: [DQ] Week 12, 'Raelf: Mare Imbrium Message-ID: From: hutch@ibeam.intel.com (Steve Hutchison) Date: Wed, 28 Oct 1992 22:56:53 GMT They had been sailing the jet-black sea for hours. The dry shuuuuush of the rotted timbers on the sea of dust changed pitch as the ghost ship moved into an area of steeper waves. The ship began to rock and creak, slightly, dangerously, but never enough to really throw the questers off the deck, never enough to make them lose their footing and fall into any of the many rotted holes in the planking that made up the ghost-ship's excuse for a deck. 'Raelf looked almost hungry as he watched the waves surge around them. Finally, he came to a decision. He stripped off his poncho and hakama, revealing underneath the black-and-neon patterns of the "wetsuit" he wore when surfing across realities. He folded the clothing carefully, kneeling on the deck, and put it into one of the pockets in his bandolier, then extracted, from the other, the "short board" he had modified for travel to this place. "Come on, little boogie board, we're going to have some fun." He gripped one of the handles attached to the middle of the board, and whispered something inaudible, and it came loose. He repeated the process, for each of the five remaining handles, and stowed them each away carefully in the bandolier pocket. Alita sauntered over. "What's up, big boy? Gonna split out of this depressing place? Wanna passenger? We could go somewhere more fun." "Alita, do you remember when I first met you?" "Why, sure, sugar," she said, stroking his hair absently. "We met in the Dragon's Inn, your brother was ... " She stopped, confused. "Who do you mean?" "Your brother? But I couldn't have met him, could I? Oh hell with it." "Alita, where was it we met?" "Now don't you go confusing me, you handsome beast. C'mon, I know where some hammocks are stored below decks, we can try figuring out a few new tricks from some old ones." She smiled, invitingly. "Not right now, Alita, I'm going surfing." "Oh be that way. I'll go talk to Valgar anyway. I love that beard." He watched as she swayed away, then sighed. "Wish she'd kept away this time. Poor little slut. Oh well, her karma, not mine." He pulled a handful of marble-sized objects from the bandolier, and put them into holes on the board where the six handles had been mounted. Fire sprang up around them, momentarily. The board began to hover just above the deck. 'Raelf stowed his boots away, changing them for a pair that were a hard, black-and-orange, shiny material, that closed over his feet and halfway up the calf, like a clamshell. He stepped up onto the board, and K-LATCH, the boots took hold. He folded the bandolier up into a single pocket, stuffed it inside the top of his suit, and sealed the neck up. An amber-colored eyeshield sealed to his face. <> and his skin went jet black, a sharp contrast to the yellow of his hair and eyes. "BANZAI!" he shouted, and did a backflip over the rail to the black dust below. Lancos had been speaking with Miro, having a game of chess, in fact. He looked up, startled, and the giant looked up as well. Miro just sighed, "always playing games," and moved his chess piece. "Check." 'Raelf appeared, cresting the black waves, a yellow, orange, blue dot ripping up and down the sides of the massive black surges of dust. He vanished under one, then came out, grinned and waved at William. After what seemed like a few hours, he vanished, then in moments, he reappeared on deck, fading in from the Air, and put the board away, resuming his normal travelling garb. "Radical. Intensely radical. It's kind of like deep powder snow with a bad attitude, man," he grinned at William. "You were right, though, it was fine as long as I didn't breathe. So I didn't." He pulled a sandwich out of his bandolier. It was green, with maggots, inside the waxed paper that Serene had packed it in. "Oh bummer. Nasty got all over it. Wonder if ... FLICK ... Nope. Merde." He glared redly, and it caught fire, which flickered down into his hands - not even ash remained. "Guys, y'all might want to eat now. The ocean here is making the food rot faster than usual." While the others salvaged a meal, he went up to the crow's nest, climbing the rotted ropes by convincing them that they really were there. He sat with his back against the creaking mast, and took out his amber amulet. <> The fist-sized sphere of pale light appeared, and in seconds, an image appeared, geometric, glowing lines in impossible directions, a whirling 'cube/pyramid/diamond. It began flickering and a faint moaning hum would have been heard if anyone else were up there. <> 'Raelf asked, and waited for the thing to respond. Images of him, surfing the black sea, covered its surface. A voice, artificial to his ears, began to speak. <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> The sphere vanished.