From: nealk@maths.tcd.ie (Neal Kidson)
Newsgroups: alt.pub.dragons-inn
Subject: [Garol] Ummm.. Next bit?
Message-ID: <1993Feb8.173451.8199@maths.tcd.ie>
Date: 8 Feb 93 17:34:51 GMT



  The five black figures gathered in the wreck of the building. Being the Low
City, no-one could be seen walking outside. It was dark, as it always is when
these things happen, but with a waxing moon. This gave the streets just enough
light to be sinister. The figures were standing in the middle of what would 
have once been a quite nice, if slightly weird, dining hall. It was open to the 
city but no light entered. It seemed almost afraid. One of the figures seemed 
slightly aggitated, if you could judge by the way his shoulders and head moved. 
For no apparent reason, all five suddenly stiffened slightly and turned to the 
ruined staircase that someone had, for some bizare reason, placed in the centre
of the hall.
  There was a sixth figure coming down it.
  Garol.
  "Time to finish this chase,", he thought "if I can..."

  The five scattered out around the staircase as Garol came off it. He walked
slowly into the hall, staff at the ready. Two of the figures leapt into the 
attack simultaneously. One slashed a lightning-quick sword thrust against his
left side while the others staff whirled towards Garols feet. Leaping over the
staff, Garol batted the blade aside with one end of his staff as the other end
impacted with the side of the sword-wielders head. It wasn't going to be that
easy, though. The struck man rolled with the blow and came up, slightly stunned
a few paces away. All five started to close in. Garol dropped his staff and his
hands flew to the throwing-stars hidden in his clothing. Five stars flew in 
quick succesion, two of the figures ducked in the nick of time, two didn't move
far enough and the razor-sharp stars took them both in the throat. The fifth
caught the star. Quite succesful for a diversion. Garol had followed the stars
with both his swords drawn, ducking the returning star from the fifth figure.
 
  Before even they could react, Garol was amoung the remaining three. One fell
to a swift thrust of his katanna. Blocking the descending sword of the next 
with his short wakizashi, Garols right foot shot out and slamed agianst the 
second mans chest, catching him off guard with its speed, and crushing his ribs 
and heart. The man crumpled and hit the floor. This left Garol facing the last 
figure. The one who had caught his star. He had moved back slightly and now 
stood directly opposite Garol, his right hand outlined by blue flame. By the 
light of this flame Garol could make out the features of his face. He was taller
than Garol by quite a few inches. His hair was a deep brown and his face was 
not improved by the vicious sneer on it.
  Him!
 
  "It ends here, Nightshadow!" he growled, mockingly. 
  A blue fireball shot from his suddenly upraised right hand. Growing. expanding
, it rocketed towards Garol and hit the wall as Garol ducked and rolled beneath
it. The wall was set ablaze.     
  "Not yet," said Garol, an edge creeping into his low voice, "This has a way
to go before it's over."
  Their gazes locked. With that Garol launched his offensive. His mind slamed
into his opponents as he lept into the attack, his katanna slashing down towards
the mans open head, only to be blocked by a lightning fast draw and parry. The
battle carried them into the centre of the room. Amid the cirles of flashing 
steel both men pressed home their attacks, using every move at their disposal.
Blindingly fast strikes were blocked or dodged with equal speed. The mental
battle was just as awesome. Both men tried to crush the others will, hammerblows
of incredible power smashing off invulnerable defences. All the while the flames
in the room grew higher and hotter, spreading. 

  It couldn't last forever. Garol felt the heat from the fire building up.
He also felt the strain of the battle taking its toll even on his tremendous
physique. This battle would either drag on 'til one man made a mistake through
exhaustion, which was unlikely, or.......

  Garols ferocious attack caught his opponent slightly off-guard. The speed and
power in it surpassed anything seen previously in the fight. Parrying desperatly
the man was staggered by the assault. It was enough. Garols katanna flashed 
under his guard and through the mail into the mans chest. He staggered back, 
disbelief evident on his face. He felt the life flow out of him as he fell and
hit the floor dead.
 
 Garol exhaled heavily. Even for him that had _not_ been easy. He stood for a
moment over his foes dead form. Then the crackling of the inferno behind him
penetrated. He quickly ran out of the ruined room into the street beyond, 
pausing only to retrieve his staff.
  He watched as the room collapsed in flames. In all the fight not one attack  
had touched him. 
  
  Some time later Garol walked through the entrance to the Dragons Inn.
  "That is a beautiful child," he said, noting Mista in Serenes arms.  
Serene smiled.
  "Do you have a bottle of quegan?" he asked.

  Sitting at his table later Garol reviewed what had happened. With those five
gone it would be a long time before anyone else found him. Perhaps here he 
could get things in order. OK there's still _that_ to be taken care of but
that needs planning and time. 

  He took a drink and sat back. And here I've got the time, at least for now.