Newsgroups: alt.pub.dragons-inn From: rudnick@cfatrw.harvard.edu (Bret Rudnick) Subject: [VampQ] Silly Sniper... Message-ID: Date: Wed, 29 Sep 1993 14:54:44 GMT ==================================================== [VampQ] Silly Sniper... Admin: [This post is a joint effort involving: John [JGE] (Billy the Torch) Bluestar Dreamer (Bluestar Dreamer) Bret Rudnick (Tomonobu Fujiwara) Synopsis: As they begin their journey to find the mysterious Vampire Orchid, some adventurers are attacked in the wilderness.] ====================================================== Lightning flashed from the dark clouds above as the storm gathered intensity. The thunder rolled ominously around them. Still, there was no rain. Tomonobu began to feel a peculiar buzzing in his head, and put it down to the intensity of the storm. "You know, it's strange that we've not encountered any opposition yet," said Billy, who had not gone more than five minutes in his life without having to run from something. No sooner had he spoken the words when an arrow grazed his ear, drawing a small trickle of blood. "Hit the deck!" he screamed, as he did so. The archer's location was unknown to him, but he saw the others were more adept at such things. Tomonobu had already drawn a kozuka from his long sword sheath [Admin: a kozuka is a utility knife often kept in the sheath of Japanese katanas, useful for dicing food or opponents]. His left arm was a blur as he returned fire in the direction of the arrow. Near a tree some 20 metres ahead came a groan and a crashing sound, indicating a hit. Simultaneously, a longbow arrow struck the body as Tomonobu's knife struck the sniper. "Left shoulder?" Bluestar asked plainly. "Hai," Tomonobu said simply. "Left hand," Blue explained. "Why did you kill him?" Now we'll never know who is after us!" argued Billy, but only half-heartedly. "Calm down, little one. If we've done our job properly, we've only wounded him," Tomonobu replied softly. "Now we can interrogate him." "I'll bet he was after _me_!" insisted Billy. The logic supported him, since it was his head that was nearly skewered. "Wait here," Bluestar called to the others. "Be careful, we don't want to get separated," Tomonobu added, as he and Bluestar went to investigate. He said those words only half-expecting they would be heeded. The chance of only a single, incompetent assassin was remote, and Tomonobu knew the chance of further conflict was great. Billy donned his invisibility bracelet and followed close behind, expecting the worst. As the three approached the fallen body, both warriors proved good to their word. Tomonobu's knife was buried deep in the sniper's left shoulder, and the thug's left hand was shot clean through by a blue-fletched arrow. The mercenary cowered against the tree, whimpering quietly as blood flowed from his fresh wounds. "You can kill me if you want, but I ain't talkin'!" Tomonobu withdrew his knife and pressed it to the man's throat. "So those are your final words on this world?" he asked. But the man wouldn't budge. He simply would not tell who sent him or why. All of a sudden Billy acted, still invisible, of course. "I am the spirit of the storm!" he moaned, only inches from the man's ear. "My power is everywhere! I know of the family you left behind. I could easily blot them out like the insignificant insects they are!" He gambled on the family part, hoping it would pay off. "Hey, look, I didn't ask for none of this! Leave my wife alone! I needed the money, and an ogre I met offered it to me if I snuffed out the leader of your group!" The poor man was desperate now. He really wasn't bad at heart, just a victim of circumstance. Bluestar laughed. "You thought Billy was our leader?" Seeing that this man was no threat, Dreamer waited for the proper moment, when none would notice, then slipped away. "I'm insulted," Tomonobu said quietly. "I didn't really know who was the leader," the man cried. "I just shot at the first person I saw. I was gonna try and get you all. Eventually..." "Now I know you truly are an idiot," Tomonobu said to the man. "You are fortunate to still breathe." He looked into the would-be assassin's eyes for a moment, then took a pouch of gold from his belt and pressed it into the man's good hand. "Should you survive your journey back to the city, I would advise you to seek the Buddha's Ways and take care of your family at an honest trade. Go!" Tomonobu said the last word so forcefully that his voice alone practically picked up the man and hurled him away. Billy's eyes widened at the sight of the gold. He cringed as the money changed hands. I need the money more than that poor slob, he thought to himself, perhaps a bit greedily. He had, for the moment, forgotten the words of the riddle that promised an end to his current financial troubles. Suddenly the sounds of distant battle caught their attention. The wind had increased, and was picking up dead grasses, dirt, and other debris. They couldn't see the others. Tomonobu shielded his eye with his hands. "Blue! Where's Bluestar!" "Can't see him," Billy replied, squinting and trying hard to see _anything_. "Gone off on his own again! Damn him!" Tomonobu cursed, as the buzzing in his head increased. "Do what you can with the others, Billy, I've got to find Blue!" -- |----------B. Rudnick -- e-mail: rudnick@cfatrw.harvard.edu --------| |--------------------------------------------------------------------| | All that we see or seem, Is but a dream within a dream -- E.A. Poe | |--------------------------------------------------------------------|