Newsgroups: alt.pub.dragons-inn
Subject: [MI][KQ] Elstree[MI HQ]: Call For Help
Message-ID: <1992Nov15.034634.2066@kakwa.ucs.ualberta.ca>
From: aaron@space.ualberta.ca (Aaron Humphrey)
Date: Sun, 15 Nov 1992 03:46:34 GMT

It was a slow day around Moriarty Investigations.  Moriarty and Choir had gone
off that morning to the Mage Guild, to get Choir registered.  Delmara and
Little Rat were playing some kind of game downstairs, Queriche sat behind the
desk in the office, looking very bored and out of place, and Alfvaen and
Elstree held an internal conversation, bringing each other up to date on what
had happened since their separation.  Lassiviren remained diplomatically
silent.

Then there was a frantic pounding on the door.  Before Queriche could even get
up to see who it was, a boy of about twelve ran up the stairs and into the
office.  Queriche vaguely recognized the boy as one he had seen in the Low
City, but apart from that he was not familiar.  "Is Delmara here?" the boy
asked.  "Trouble in the Buff'--we might need a healer soon."

Alfvaen looked up, distracted from his internal conversation.  "You need a
healer?  How about two?  I'll go fetch them."  He opened the wall panel and
ran down the stairs.  At the bottom, Elstree took his place, and burst in on
Delmara and Little Rat.

"Delmara?  Some Low City boy come to fetch you and any other healers he can
get.  He says there's trouble in the Buff'."

Delmara nodded.  "I'm on my way."  In only a minute she was ready to go.  The
two went up the stairs, Little Rat following.

Delmara recognized the boy.  "Hercli," she said.  "What's wrong?"

"Kron and a bunch of others went into the Shunned Center.  Then the Press
started moving out to the Buff'.  Drew and the others are going in, too.
Jacinthe can't handle it all herself, and a guy named Nirvan thought of you.
This the other healer?"

Delmara nodded.  "Her name's Elstree.  She's my ward and apprentice."

Queriche had gone thoughtful at the mention of Kron's name.  "Was there a
lizard man and a black man with Kron?"

Hercli nodded.  "You know Maleiu?  Nirvan knows him.  I don't know the lizard
man, but he was with them."

Queriche grinned.  "You tell Maleiu that Queriche says hi, and if you see
the lizard man--his name's Thk--tell him that I want a rematch someday."

"Can do," Hercli said.  Then he set off, Elstree and Delmara in hot pursuit.

--
---Alfvaen(Looking for "October's Baby")
"Lucille was secretly thrilled when Norman sucked her toaster."
   ---B. Kliban
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