From: justinf@cco.caltech.edu (Justin Fang) Newsgroups: alt.pub.dragons-inn Subject: [Kal & Co] Big Trouble Date: 24 Mar 1993 01:29:34 GMT Message-ID: >The thing was over fifty feet tall and made of living, pulsing seawater, >black and foul as the sea itself merely appeared in the middle of the >night. It resembled a mound, with vaguely humanoid arms and a head. >In the time Scott had trotted to his pack, the thing had crossed the >entire length of the visible sea, and was now (standing?) at the edge >of the shore, only fifteen feet of shore distancing it from the two >adventurers. >Scott swore and instinctively rolled behind a rock. His head peered above >it as he eyed warily the water elemental which towered far above him. >Meanwhile, Meran stared the water-thing full in the face in abject horror, >taking slow and careful steps backward to no particular purpose. >E'Karam rounded the rock, and pointed at the elemental, his tentacled face >smirking at the other two. "HA! I knew it! A mutated tadpole!" Meran stared up at the massive, hostile wall of water, his mind feverishly running on several tracks at once. Unfortunately, none of those tracks included giving instructions to his body, which remained frozen in position. {Never seen one that big! -- what'd work against it? No, no, no... maybe? Maybe not. Not much. Different form? Hmmm... -- mass is about... ouch! -- Power it'd take to summon and compel is incredible... archmage, or artifact...} >He [E'Karam] focused his mind on the water in the creature. In his mind, he >pictured the molecules slowing in their vibrations, expanding into their lower >energy state...that of ice crystals. His tentacles waved fiercely in >concentration, but all that came from his purple lips was "damn salty water!" >The water being slowed its approach, its form filled with an icy mush...this >would have to do. {It's freezing! How? E'Karam? Heat removed is amount of water times temperature change times heat capacity is... wow! He's more powerful than I'd thought -- Artifact! The horn! What would Wyeriun want? Kal! He's after Kal!} >"Wake up the others, I can't hold this thing for long!" he [E'Karam] shouted >to Meran and Scott while he still faced the hulking form of watery death. Meran moved. Scott and E'Karam were here, Denner in the guest room of the keep, that left Kevin and Kal. He sprinted for the tents. Kevin was awake, staring at the elemental, Kal was asleep. Meran jerked open the tent flap. "Kal! Wake up! Trouble!" Like the seasoned adventurer he was, Kalendraf was instantly alert. "What?" "The Wyeriun's sent *that*," Meran said, pointing, as Kal got out of the tent. "It's after *you*, so I suggest you leave. Quickly." He turned to Kevin. "That's a good idea for you, too. If comes towards you, run inland. One of you head for the keep and get Ivy - we need all the help we can get." {That's assuming she's willing to help us, of course.} Meran headed back for the beach. There were a few things he could do that might slow the thing down... Justin Fang (justinf@cco.caltech.edu) This space intentionally left blank.