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From: nc312022@wvnvms.wvnet.edu
Newsgroups: alt.pub.dragons-inn
Subject: [VampQ] Bluestar: Forward and Back
Message-ID: <1993Sep13.152507.7787@wvnvms.wvnet.edu>
Date: 13 Sep 93 15:25:06 EDT
Organization: West Virginia Network for Educational Telecomputing
Lines: 130

	Over the past few days,  Bluestar Dreamer has become somewhatly the
talk of the Inn.  The elf seemed to occupy a permenent seat at the bar.  There
the depressed elf would silently sip his ale ( still with the obvious distased)
and stare at the wall.  He had not spoken a word since his first day.  Noone
saw him eat or move or sleep.  Althouth every once in a while, someone would
notice that he was not in his seat, noone ever saw him leave or return.
	Until today.
	There was a mass turning of heads and an awe-struck silence When
Bluestar spoke on his forth morning in the Inn.
	"Good Morining to you all!"  He shouted to the breakfast crowd
consisting of those few who awoke early and the many who had not gone to sleep,
"Barkeep, a large breakfast for me!"
	Bluestar stood proud and tall.  His armor glissed and the smell of
fresh polish and oils clung to the mail and leathers.  His hair was clean and
fell freely about his shoulders.  The cloak that once sagged about the warrior,
now seemed to have a life of its own, sailing behind him.  Its color changed
magically from black to royal blue as he moved to a table.
	Probably the most noticeable feature were his swords.  Blue had not
wore any weapon since he first appeared.  When he came in three nights ago,
the swords he carried were carelessly strapped to the duffle he dragged behind
him.  Now, the long, graceful katana and matching wazitashi, companion-short
sword, were smartly tucked into a long blues sash.  Those familar with the
oriental culture recognized this as a symbol of rank and knighthood from the 
far-east lands, but an elf wearing the dashio (the long and short of it, the 
paired samurai swords only allowed to be carried together by nobles.) was 
unheard of.  The land of the Shogun were infamous for its closed society.  Few
western humans had ever been given the honor, and none had even heard a fiction
where a demihuman carried one.  Blustar Dreamer was obviously and elf of many
suprises.
	As he sat down to eat, the crowd returned to its own business.  Only
the waitress caught the despaired look on his face that was quickly hidden
under a forced smile.  His sadness was still with him, she thought, but he has
suddenly hidden it. Why?  She shrugged away the thought as she turned to get
his order.
	Bluestar ate slowly.  Partly to enjoy the taste, and partly because he
had to force himself not to fade off into despare.  The meal was just as he 
asked for: large.  Plenty of eggs, meats, various fruits and juices.  With a
determined look Bluestar ate every last wonderful bite.  His appitite slated,
Bluestar felt much more in control.  Now he had to get down to business.
	Late last night, he had talked to a newcomer to the in, a samuria in
fact about a quest in search of some type of vampire plant.  There were alot of
details left uncovered, but the prospect of an adventure had returned a measure
of life to the ranger.  Bluestar left the Inn in search of the various supplies
he might need.  
	Bluestar Dreamer was new to the city, and after nearly a week spent in
the Inn, was ready to explore abit.  Wondering about, he stopped and browsed in 
many of the shops, puchasing various goods when the mood took him, headless of
prices.  Bluestar stopped for a moment, chewing on some jerky bought from a
vendor.  He was in a large park, when a peculular spectical caught his eye.  An
attractive female warrior was trying to get what apperared to be a bumbling
mage out of a tree.  He thought of going to help for a second, but the thought
of Caulie-aun came unbidden to his mind and he started of in another direction.
	Blue's aimless wonderings had not gone unnoticed.  A throng of
cut-throats had noticed his spending, and took interst in the size and number
of his purses.  They had all tried to pick his pockets, but that damn cloak, as
they took to calling it, seemed to always get in the way.  The group decided to
abandon sutalty.
	Bluestar strolled now through a less traffic part of town, heedlss
of direction or the ambush forming around him.
	"Elf!" cried one of the thieves, stepping into the elf's path, "This is
Flame Brand territory. You gotta pay a toll to walk this street."
	Bluestar stopped, shaking his head.  Looking at his acouster with
disbelief in his glowing blue eyes he sized up the situation.  "I heard the 
Flame Brands all died."
	"When did you hear that?" The human punk asked, waving a plain
shortsword in Dreamer's direction.
	"Yesterday," Bluestar said calmly as his swords blurred into his hands
to a readied position. 
	The spokesman backed up, and waited for the elf to fall.  Gritz was
suspose to backstab the elf while Jarll distracted him.  But to Jarll's dismay,
Gritz just stood there, a confused look on his face.  Suddenly, Gritz fell
over, his head rolling from his dead.  Noone had seen the Iijituse draw-strike
that had cut so cleanly, the katana was not bloodied.  Just as quickly Jarll's 
life was moving again from that dead stop that had fallen on him as his buddies
head rolled to the ground.  
	The katana came in high.  Jarll barely noticed the speeding blade as he
parried the hacking samuria sword.  Jarll was ready to counter, when the
wazatash speared his unguarded gut.  Blue used the short sword to guide the
dieing Jarll into another oncoming thief as the katana shot out to parry a
swordsman from the right.
	Bluestar was paying attention during his explorations, atleast
half-consiously.  He had counted six of the very bad thiefs following him.  Two
were now dead, one delayed by a dead body, and two were now circling him,
looking for an opening.  Where was six?, Blue thought as crossparried the
swordsman and sidekicked the mace-weilder aproaching from the left, "Where?"
	Zniper sat on the roof, his crossbow aimed at the battling elf.  "He's 
good.  But he is also dead," he said to himself as he took aim.
	A small meow startled him.  Looking down, a small orange cat with
golden eye's returned his stare.  "Where did you come from?" he asked, lifting
his foot to kick the pesk away.
	The cat had other plans, and was in the air before the crossbow man
could kick.  Zniper saw a orange furball hit his face and then there was lots
of pain.  Claws tore at his cheeks and raked at his neck.  He started to pull
the attacking feline away when suddenly the pain intensified.  Zniper pulled
threw the cat away from him and clutched at his eye.
	The cat landed easily and with arrogance.  Zniper stared horrified from
his one eye.  The cat seemed to smile as it spit out the crossbowman's torn
eyeball.  Zniper fired at the cat, but missed horribly.  The cat sat there and
watched as Zniper fled accross the rooftops clutching his face.
	[Got'em], Bluestar Dreamer heard inside his head.  The voice seemed to
give his eyes a brighter glow.  His fighting style imediately changed from a
that of a smooth running, but mechanical, machine to a flowing artist.
	Sword and Mace were not prepared for the change.  They were barely
holding their own before.  Now, they were having to parry with more and more
skill, and they did not have much to begin with.  And why wasn't Zniper
shooting at this dangerous elf.  Both relized something was wrong but it was
too late. 
	Their was a flack of sparks as Bluestar's katana bounced of Sword's
weapon and spun the other way at Mace.  Suprised, Mace tried to parry but
caught only air.  A miss, he thought relieved, until his entrails spilled onto
the street.
	Sword used the split second he had gained to his advantage: he ran!
	Bluestar thought about letting him go, But changed his mind.  The
wazatashi went spiraling through the air, planting itself into the thief's
back.
	Bluestar walked calmly to retrieve his blade.  He had sheaved both
when the cat had made it down to him.
	"These were obviously only Flame Brand-wantabes," Bluestar said to the
cat.  Picking up the feline, Bluestar held it close.  "I thought I had lost you
too, Gemini."  A tear slid from the elf's azure eye.
	[It was a close one], Gemini said telepathicaly, [After the Astral
storm, I had trouble finding you.]
	"I am glad you showed up when you did."
	[You are getting careless, Blue]
	"Yes."
	[Where is Caulie-aun?] Gemini asked curiously, [Is she with you?]
	Bluestar Dreamer just hugged his friend and familar tighter, quietly
heading back to the inn.