From: cj841@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Chris Steiner)
Newsgroups: alt.pub.dragons-inn
Subject: [NEWCOMERS] Newbies appear just out of town.  (long)
Date: 20 Jul 1993 20:01:18 GMT
Message-ID: <22hiue$ngh@usenet.INS.CWRU.Edu>


   Casey knocked on the door of Michael Evans' house.  A strange wind  whipped 
through  his jacket and caused him to shudder.  /I really should  be  cramming 
for  my  final  not doing this...  But hey I do need to get a  grip  and  this 
usually helps./  He reached up to knock again and the door opened suddenly.

   "Why're  you in such a hurry?  I need to get some sleep.  Finals and  all." 
Contrary  to his words, Michael is dressed like he was planning to  spend  the 
next  few  weeks  in a jungle.  He leans a heavy  walking  staff  against  the 
doorway,  shrugs on a fuzzy camouflage backpack over a bright blue cloak,  and 
adjusts some other obscure items.

   Casey gasped.  He always considered Michael a strange person, but this  was 
crossing the line.

   "So I like to have a lot of stuff with me when I work magick.  Most of it's 
unnecessary,  but it comes in handy every now and then."  Michael flipped  the 
outside light off and stepped outside.  "Mind if we take Beau with us?"

   "I  guess not.  I was just coming by to ask you for a bit of  help.   Cindy 
left me recently."

   "I'm  sorry."   Michael  looked into Casey's eyes, trying to  judge  if  he 
should react or how.  He hadn't dealt with this often and had yet to learn how 
others expected him to act.

   "I think it was because of me.  It's almost like there's something  pushing 
people away from me."  Casey paused, "I don't think its me though, Its just... 
well  its as if this place is starting to get on my nerves.  You know all  the 
weird  things that happen here.  Well I was hoping you could do  something  to 
help?"

   Michael  sighed  inwardly.   This was something he knew how  to  react  to. 
"Beau! C'mon, I'm going for a walk."  A scurry of claws on linoleum precedes a 
streak of white fur that makes it out just as the door closes.  Michael  looks 
at his bicycle for a moment, thinking about what his friend wants him to  look 
for.   /If  it's  trouble with a spirit, it should be easy.   But  he  doesn't 
usually have problems with them./

   "If you need sleep so bad, how did you happen to be dressed for an invasion 
when I was going to drop in unannounced and ask for a little magickal help?"

   Michael  began slapping pockets.  "keys, disk, quartered  circle,  darts... 
seems to be everything.  Oh, the gate's been calling me again."  He turned  to 
face  Casey.  "Staff!"  Michael reached past his friend to grasp  the  walking 
staff.   "Give me your details on the way and I'll see what I can do  after  I 
deal  with the gate.  Still can't tell what it wants to show me or have me  do 
until I get through the tunnel guardian, but I'm getting better at guessing."

   "What-"

   "Haven't a clue-"

   "-finals do you have tomorrow?"

   "-this time.  Data Structures.  Ever have YiFan?"  Michael started  walking 
up  the street and Beau ran ahead to the corner of a white fence.  "He  spends 
half  the  class talking about why college is so much harder for  the  foreign 
students  and giving redundant definitions to every word he uses, then  spends 
another  third talking about 'disk sick time' when it has nothing to  do  with 
what  we're learning.  You know what one of the questions was?  Is  difference 
Property and Attribute?"

   "Your dog is running away."

   "Nah.   He knows where we're going.  He just hasn't been outside much  this 
week  and  needs  to  run.  You know, the MUD was  crashing  again  today.   I 
shuffled  stuff  between my characters as fast as I could and  ended  up  with 
something  like 20 Gold Dwarven Rings and 3 Galactic Claymores and 7  bags  of 
assorted  potions.   Mostly gold and silver, but I got a few opal  and  purple 
ones  copied.   One of the gods caught someone else doing the same  thing  and 
changed the code so that it saves just before it crashes."

   Casey laughed.  "I quit playing that a few weeks ago.  I'm on every now and 
then, but just to socialize or to steal the golden ring from the blacksmith."

   "I  noticed  you  on once," Michael said, "Sylvaria.  You  never  left  the 
Shire." Beau appeared just at the edge light from a streetlamp and wagged  his 
tail  at  them and disappeared again.  "Zack got StormBringer  to  22nd  level 
today.  He insists that he'll reach 25th level before he has to leave."

   Casey fell silent as they both began to hike into the wood line.  The night 
was  lit  up by brilliant bursts of lightning but oddly enough  there  was  no 
thunder.    The  silence  continued  as  they  struggled  past  some   thicker 
vegetation.  Soon the vegetation opened up to an old path leading up the  side 
of the hill.

   Michael  waited  patiently.  Casey would begin to talk when  the  time  was 
right.   Anyway it was a bad thing to talk at this part of the hike.   At  the 
crest of the hill as if on cue, Casey began to open up.

   "You remember the things I mentioned about Cindy right?  Well things got  a 
bit weirder last week.  We were having a tarot party last Saturday when at the 
stroke  of midnight Cindy was possessed.  The weird part was that  she  wasn't 
the target, I was.  It was like something was using her as a bait to get me to 
expose myself and fight.  The thing they wanted me to do was posses her myself 
and then they would show her how evil I was.  The powerplay continued for over 
an hour and in the end I beat it out of her but.... " Casey trailed off.

   "And?" Michael prompted.  This was staring to get very interesting.

   "Well  she is very adept with the cards and although probable  outcomes  of 
what happened she couldn't get, She figured out what actually happened on  her 
own.  She knows what I did and why and well...  She doesn't want to deal  with 
it anymore.  Can't say that I blame her though."

   The  two  had  just about reached the edge of an old  cemetery.   Beau  had 
stopped  at the front gate and was sitting waiting for us to lead the way  in. 
Michael unfocused his eyes and tried to see the spirit barriers he had created 
in front of the gate with his mind.

   "My  gates have been opened again.  I really should find the  other  people 
who  can use this place.  I've seen one of them once.  Female in  a  dark-blue 
dress."  They walked through the gate on a paved path striped with dead grass. 
Dark  trees  lined  the path, casting heavy shadows and  leaving  only  a  few 
patches  of light.  Michael became very serious.  He did not like some of  the 
things  the gate asked him to do before, and he didn't like the  attention  it 
attracted.  Several concepts of shields entered his mind and he lent a portion 
of energy to each of them.  Something felt wrong.  No, different.   Displaced. 
Incomplete.  But not wrong.

   Casey  followed in silence, but was growing more uneasy.  As many times  as 
he  had  walked  along the path which Michael claimed  contained  the  'tunnel 
guardian',  he  had  never felt anything unusual.  But this  time,  they  were 
definitely  moving.  Not quite along time...  or any other direction he  could 
recognize.

   Michael  stopped in the largest pool of light and turned to kneel in  front 
of  a statue of the Virgin Mary.  /I know I don't pray to you as  a  follower. 
For some reason, I can only accept Jesus, and in my own way.  But you are  the 
only marker that stays the same when the other stones move in this place.  You 
provide  a sense of peace every time I enter this place.  Be with me  wherever 
the tunnel guardian takes me this time./

   "That tombstone wasn't there last time I was here," Casey said, pointing up 
the path a ways.

   "I know."  Michael didn't even bother to look.  It didn't matter if Casey's 
memory  was correct or not.  He needed to believe completely in  magick  right 
now.   If  it had been there before, then pointing that out would  only  cause 
Casey to question his sight at other times when it was needed quickly.  As  it 
was, the quick answer Michael gave was calculated to make Casey think what  he 
saw was a common occurrence and was to be expected.

   Of course, Casey didn't buy it.  He knew Michael too well.

   They  emerged from the trees as the path forked.  They took the right  hand 
path as always, walking on the dead grass as often as possible, around to  the 
positive and negative poles of the arch of energy he referred to as his  gate. 
The positive pole was a tall tombstone with a shortened cross on the top.  The 
negative one was a small version of the Washington monument.  The clouds  hung 
very  low overhead and the lightning continued, without thunder,  making  dull 
circles of light.  The wind carried a refreshing energy with it, the kind that 
comes before a large storm.

   "Think we'll make it home without getting soaked?" Michael asked.

   "Are you kidding?  Of course not."

   "Well, might as well get this over with."

   "Got any idea yet what it wants yet?"

   "No,  can't  even  tell if it wants me to do something  or  see  something. 
Seems  like  both.   Beau, stay on the path.  I'll be  right  back."   Michael 
carefully  walked over to the negative pole, avoiding the places where  people 
were  buried.  He rested his hands on it carefully and closed his eyes.   /Ok, 
Armitage.  I need a translation from you.  You speak to this gate better  than 
I do.  ...  What am I here for?/  Half formed images flashed through Michael's 
mind.  A brief combat, a gray bound book with strange writing, a mug of  black 
liquid,  a wall covered in hieroglyphics /I've seen that before I think.   One 
of  my  Tai  Chi  dances./ wolf's eyes, a riverbed  at  sunrise.   Then  three 
specific images formed.  The drawing of a katana as the storm winds increased. 
Then  the  circling  of the katana creating a simple  version  of  the  Lesser 
Banishing  Ritual  of the Pentagram.  Then raising the katana to  the  sky  as 
several circles of lightning flashed.

   Michael  backed away, back to the path.  "It wants me to do  something  all 
right.  It gave me the first three steps to a ritual.  As soon as I start  it, 
I'll  know what it is and how to finish.  It's playing on a gift Shadake  gave 
me."

   Casey  looked  at Michael as if he was being slow on purpose.   "So  what's 
keeping you?"

   It  didn't  seem  to Michael like the gate wanted him  to  do  anything  he 
wouldn't object to.  He just didn't like doing things when he didn't know what 
results  to  expect.   /Then again, this may be the only chance  to  do  this. 
Who's thought was that?  Does it matter?  Right./  Michael shoved his  walking 
staff into Casey's hands.

   "Hold  this."   He  reached over his shoulder and drew a  katana  from  his 
backpack.   He slid the sheathed katana into his belt and stared at the  arch. 
/Why  am  I feeling fear?  This is what I've been wanting to see  for  a  long 
time./   He  wrestled  with his mind, trying to calm it.  He  could  feel  the 
amount of power in the air and knew that the gate wanted him to wield it.   He 
reviewed  the  names  used  in the LBRP, forgetting one  for  a  moment,  then 
remembering.   He  griped the katana hard and felt the leather on  the  pommel 
absorbing his sweat.  /I'm losing it./

   "Attempt impossible things," Michael spoke softly.  "Even if you fail,  you 
make more progress than one who did not attempt."

   "What?"  Casey said, then reflexively moved the walking staff  between  him 
and the bare katana blade.

   The winds increased to twice their speed, obeying Michael's will like  they 
hadn't  in  seven years as he approached the arch.  He swung the  sword  in  a 
circle,  vibrating names and visualizing flaming blue pentagrams and the  garb 
of  various  angels.  "*Yud-Heh-Vahv-Heh*  *Rafael*,  *Ah-Doh-Nye*  *Michael*, 
*Eh-Heh-Yeh*  *Gabriel*, *Ah-Glah* *Auriel*." The power in the  air  increased 
five-fold  as  the  circle  closed.  He sensed  that  the  names  were  almost 
inconsequential,  but  felt somewhat better for saying them.   He  lifted  the 
katana  to  point  at the sky and three pops of lightning  flashed,  each  one 
doubling  the power in the air.  Michael's mind filled with the image  of  him 
carving a symbol in the air between the poles and a name sprang to mind.

   "*AZIPIAZU*   Terlosh  Intuit!"  The  quick  slices  of  his  katana   were 
punctuated by another pop of lightning and the power in the air doubled again. 
Michael  began  reacting instantly to what he saw.   "*TYMORA*   Nuratha  Wahr 
Yosh!" he carved at the positive pole.  "*XYVV*  Keraka Lushan!" he carved  at 
the  negative  pole.  "Rin Likost, Muleen Forinsh!  *THAGRASH  tan  FERESHA*!" 
Lightning popped again, and for a brief moment the arch of energy between  the 
poles became visible as a sheet of pale blue.
    
   Casey  looked at the gate and then back at Michael.  /Something just  ain't 
right  with  this./  Spreading his awareness out Casey  closed  his  eyes  and 
reached out to the gate.  He had helped Michael take control of this place and 
it  was  like an old friend.  Temperamental maybe, a little  child  like,  but 
friendly.  The ritual continued and Casey felt the play of energy through  the 
earth  and around the gates poles.  /What's this bubble here?/ Casey  thought. 
/This ain't right./

   Michael threw his katana into the ground and backed up again.

   Casey swayed with the energy and continued to feel the bubble build.  A new 
energy entered the area, it was knife-like cleaving through the fields towards 
the bubble.  It struck, the bubble burst.  Casey staggered with the new energy 
and opened his eyes to see the katana shaking in the ground.

   "What the Fuck was that all about?!" Michael yelled at the arch.

   "What's wrong?" Casey asked.

   Michael whirled to face Casey with wide eyes and clenched fists.  "I  don't 
like being controlled." he flared.  /I did walk into it of my own accord./  He 
turned back to the arch and pointed accusingly at it.

   "I  don't care!  Don't you _ever_ do that to me again.  Explain now  why  I 
shouldn't  dismantle you."  He glared at the arch, trying to make it feel  his 
anger.  A voice sighed inside of him.  /Why don't I try walking through?/   He 
continued glaring, unable to think of any response except, /I don't know where 
it leads./

   Part  of  Michael's  discussion  of with the  gate  go  through  to  Casey. 
//Why ... try walking though?//,//... Know ... Leads//  /Humph.  If that's all 
he's  mad  about.../  Casey shrugged.  He didn't have the faintest  clue  what 
Michael  just  did, except the part about the shorthand LBRP.   His  instincts 
said  that the gate was meant to be walked through.  So he walked through  it, 
expecting  to  see  anything from an alien landscape to a  haven  of  spirits. 
Nothing particularly interesting happened.  /Figures.  Lots of energy and lots 
of show frequently are just covering for tiny effects./  He turned to look  at 
his friend and said, "Well? What's keeping you?"

   Slowly, Michael's anger burned itself out.  Still it might not be all  that 
safe though, Casey did have a habit of walking through other peoples spells as 
if they didn't exist.  "Well.  I guess I'd better walk through and see  what's 
there."  He  picked up his katana and walked through, gesturing  for  Beau  to 
follow.  Once they were through, he turned back to the arch and said, "Is that 
all gate?" In response, the energy flow between the poles stopped.

   "Well,  that  was a good waste of strangeness.  At least  it  didn't  start 
raining," Casey said as they worked their way back to the tunnel guardian.  He 
walked much less jerkily as he did not share his friends qualms of stepping on 
the dead.

   "Thanks."  /Hey Armitage.  Why does the gate ask me to do silly things like 
that?  I think it might have been answering a request I made a few weeks  ago. 
Oh yea...  I keep forgetting that it has a constant link to me./

   "So, come up with any ways to help me yet?"

   "Well,  I  could  only classify it as a spirit problem if you  want  me  to 
tackle the guy who was trying to possess you, but I think that's your job  not 
mine.   Still haven't found out how your luck works like it does, so  I  can't 
lay any probability fields on you with any hope of them working.  Maybe if you 
started removing some of the dormant things in you that you don't use-"

   Casey  stopped  walking.   "Um,  Fido?  I don't  think  we're  in  Midgaard 
anymore."

   "Huh?"   Michael  looked  up to see an intersection  just  outside  of  the 
physical  gate to the cemetery.  The forest was noticeably thinner now.   Down 
the  hill a city stood.  The city was much bigger that the small college  town 
but surprisingly enough not as tall.  It was if the city spread out instead of 
up.

   A  black  streak flashed by.  Michael nearly jumped out of his  skin.  /I'm 
jumping  at  everything now.  Definitely losing it./  Michael  stared  at  the 
black streak and nodded.  "Casey did your spirit panther come too?"

   "Where?"  Casey swiveled to look at the gate.  Michael laughed.

   "You  know  you  really should work on being able to  see  the  things  you 
create."  Michael exclaimed.

   "Yeah well so I'm blind, big deal."  Casey closed his eyes and reached out. 
In  the  back of his mind he heard a faint voice *I'm here*.   "Yeah  well  it 
seams he did come."

   Michael continued to watch the panther run down the hill.