Newsgroups: alt.pub.dragons-inn
From: bdavis@pepper.cray.com (Brent G Davis  {x67000 CF/ENG})
Subject: [Kal & Co]: Shut Inn
Message-ID: <1993Feb17.102230.12731@walter.cray.com>
Date: 17 Feb 93 10:22:30 CST

   After placing Kal on the bed, the members of the group looked expectantly
at one another.  "Do any of you know that woman?", asked Denner.  From the
shaking heads, it was apparent that the soft-voiced woman who had just
volunteered to help them was a complete stranger.  "She sure is pretty,
whoever she is!  I hope she gets up here soon."

   Most of the group nodded, including Kevin after Meran Quicksilver
translated the conversation for him.  But the illithid had other tastes.
"I can't see how you humans can consider something like that to be
'pretty'.  Nearly made me blow like Kal did!"  The rest of the group
paid little attention to the mind flayer's childish ranting.  "So what
are the plans anyways?  We've rescued Kalendraf.  I don't see much of an
adventure in tending to him."  Denner and Meran gave a nasty look to
E'Karam and his unwelcome comment.  "Well?  You wanna stay with a
recovering drunk?"

   Denner was about to speak, but Meran took the floor.  "The innkeeper
promised us the room for the night, provided we all remain in here and out
of trouble for that span. Unless you really want to go looking for a place
to stay in the middle of the night, I recommend that we stay here...with Kal.
Besides, Kalendraf is still a big mystery...at least to me.  Wouldn't you
agree Denner?"

   "Uh, yes.  I still don't understand how the water is being drained from
his body."  Denner reached down and felt Kal's arm for a pulse.  "It
appears that the magic must still be in effect; his skin is drying out."
As he let go, the group noticed several white flakes cling to Denner's hand.
"Uggh!"  He grimaced as he wiped the dead skin on a blanket.  "At this rate
he won't last long."

   E'Karam walked over to the bed and looked at the dead white skin.  "Cool!
Is he a leper now?"  Then he started rubbing on Kal's arm, seeing how many
flakes he could shake loose.

   "Look...uh...why don't you just leave him alone.  Try to sit down and
relax!" Denner was losing his patience with E'Karam.  "What's your prob..."

   The door to the room opened, and the dark-haired lady peered in.  "Am I
interrupting something?"  Everyone was awestruck by her, with the
exception E'Karam who was captivated by a small piece of colored string he
had just discovered on the bed.  "Good.  Could you remove all of his
clothing?  I'll be right back."

   "Well?"  Denner asked.

   "It's Kal's life that were talking about.  I'm sure his privacy is the
least of our concerns."  Quicksilver began unbuttoning the stained shirt
covering Kalendraf's chest.  "Here, let me." Denner offered, and pulled out a
knife to just cut it free.  "I've got one that'll fit him.  No sense trying
to save this one after seeing where its been.  Besides, the odor from
that pile in the alley will probably never come out!"  Denner threw the
pieces into a garbage container.

   By the time the green-cloaked woman returned, Kal had been stripped bare
on the bed.  The lady re-entered the room carrying two large buckets, which
she was barely able to lift.  "Stand back!," she shouted and proceeded to
dump the first of the containers onto Kalendraf and the bed.

   Within a few seconds, the water on Kalendraf began to disappear.  Soon,
Kal regained consciousness.  "Drink this, lit...s..sir," the woman's voice
cracked strangely.  As Kalendraf began to drink from the second bucket, she
walked back to the door...

   And bolted it!

   Kevin made an audible gasp.  "Why are you...wha...," Denner lost his
voice as sheer terror over came him.  Quicksilver turned toward the door
only to realize that he too was overcome by fear.  Kalendraf looked up from
his emptied bucket, and froze into that position.  Standing there by the
door was no longer the gorgeous female, but instead, a horrible hag.
It's grayish, black stringy hair covered most of its ugly face with only the
crooked green nose and the largest warts poking their way through. 

   Even E'Karam found himself paralyzed, though not from fear.  For some
odd reason, his illithid mind found this to be one of the most attractive
creatures he had ever set eyes on.  'What a fox!' he thought.

--
 / bdavis@cray.com     | T | Given that 6 x 9 = 42, \
(  Cray Research, Inc. | 3 | then the Universe must  )
 \ Chippewa Falls, WI  | D | be a base 13 function. /