Newsgroups: alt.pub.dragons-inn From: jcarl@jabba.ess.harris.com (Joe Carl Jr.) Subject: [Hunters] Darvos goes hunting Message-ID: Keywords: Hunters, Darvos, Silken Date: Mon, 7 Dec 1992 18:35:13 GMT >"Tonight we start our hunt for a vampire", Darvos thought, "but until the >others show up I can make a few more notes". Darvos had been waiting for what seemed like hours for the others to show up. It looked like he was alone on this one again. He didn't blame the hired help for not showing, hunting for vampires is tough work. There had been a rash of killings in the low city lately, and the hired help was getting squeemish. Sure they take the money while there is no risk of finding one, then when things start getting close they quit. Darvos got up from the table, and picked up the lantern burning close by. With the lantern held in front of him he crossed the room and headed up stairs to the first floor. The stairs led up to a receiving hallway. Placing the lantern on a desk next to the Hall entrance, Darvos went over to the cloak rack, and picked out a brownish red cloak, and placed it over his shoulders. He fastened it with a silver broach. It was getting cold outside for night had fallen about 4 hours ago. It was close to midnight, and the moon was quarter full and waning. Darvos made sure his sword was secure in its scabard, and opened the front door to leave. A gentle breeze blew, the smell of the Ceruputhon River was still pleasant as it had not flowed past the low city yet. There it would pick up foul odors as the low city dumped its refuse into the river, for it to dump it into the Great Blue Sea. Darvos would smell the scents of the low city tonight too. Darvos stepped out into the night, the gas lamps were lit well in this part of the city. He headed toward the Arcade of Fountains, a smile of pleasure crossed his face as he passed in front of the Mage guild all alight with Mage Fire. Darvos had become a guild member less than a year ago, and had finally been able to arrange a meeting with Dasham, the Archmage of Research, latter on in the week. His plan for his research project were shaping up just right. Darvos reached the Arcade of Fountains and headed on toward the Plaza of Glittering Steel. Some beggars were still laying on the steel plate in the middle of the plaza trying to keep warm. The raucous din from the Dragins Inn indicated it would be still active well into the night. Some patrons could be seen entering, and a few stumbling out. Darvos paused at the edge of the Plaza just before entering the low city. It was getting harder to see, there were no gas lamps in the low city. Darvos extracted a bit of silver powder from his belt pouch. He spoke some words of power while casting the powder with one hand at the moon and passing his other hand before his eyes. Darvos's eyes adjusted and could soon see as well at night as if the Sun were at high noon on a cloudless day. Darvos headed towards the docks following Dragon's Lane. There was not much activity on the streets this late at night, but Darvos's hired help had told him there was a rash of disappearances in the low city. Darvos had a hunch the disappearance were related to Vampires, but had no proof. Even if he had proof, he wouldn't have given it over to the authorities. He needed a specimen for his research, and the authorities would just destroy the creature. Darvos needed information, and the hired help was useless, he needed to get the information himself. He remembered an inn called the Scrappy Ram, where adventurers less well-off than those that frequent the Dragaons Inn, hang out. Information could be gotten there for a price. Darvos cut down an alley, off of Dragon's Lane and started winding his way towards the Scrappy Ram. Winding his way through the alleys reminded him about how he had gotten started. Young and from a different country, with no skill but with a sword, Darvos's only home had been in the low city. He had come to know the ins and out of low city quite well. How it had changed since then. It was still stinky, rotten and foul though. "A left down this alley and right down the second should lead to right up to the Scrappy Ram's front door." It didn't. "Shit, where the hell is this place?" Darvos said aloud. "How could I have gotten lost, I used to live here" he thought to himself Darvos turned a corner out of an alleyway. Up ahead was a middle aged man berating a child. "Probably snuck out, and his father caught him. It's dangerous in this part of town, the man should just smack the kid for being so stupid. At least I can get directions" thought Darvos. > Then the child attacked the man, jumping higher than he should have >and bit the man on the throat. The man's mouth opened to scream, but no >sound came out. He was drained in seconds. The boy cried out loud with >joy. Darvos was stunned by the sight. Never having seen a real vampire, Darvos could do nothing but watch in horror. > The boy raised a hand and chanted a few words. His hand waved in the >air in a strange pattern. Suddenly, the body caught fire! > In seconds, there was only ash. "A spell caster too!" Darvos thought. "What do I do, What do I do now. Here's my chance, but what do I do". Darvos slipped back into the alley he had just come from. Darvos still peaking out from behind thought "Watch and learn. Yes, watch and learn.". Darvos watch the child with scrutiny, memorizing his features. "I'll follow him to his lair, should be more there. If I know where they stay I can get them during the day time." > Silken moved away, sickened yet strangely aroused. Just then a shadow pealed away from a nearby alley and headed towards him, an elf. Darvos thought shifted from the child to the elf. Darvos could see him quite well, but could the elf seen him? -- Joe Carl Jr. "It ain't what a man don't know that makes him a jcarl@jabba.ess.harris.com fool, but what he does know that ain't so." -- Josh Billings