From alt.pub.dragons-inn Wed Feb 2 13:06:20 1994 Path: netcom.com!netcomsv!decwrl!src.dec.com!crl.dec.com!crl.dec.com!caen!cmuvm.csv.cmich.edu!344lwkc Organization: Central Michigan University Date: Mon, 31 Jan 1994 14:13:46 EST From: Mike Sander <344LWKC@CMUVM.CSV.CMICH.EDU> Message-ID: <94031.141347344LWKC@CMUVM.CSV.CMICH.EDU> Newsgroups: alt.pub.dragons-inn Subject: [LH][Little Rat] Catching Up ... and some mortal combat Keywords: the former w/ other threads & an "old" friend, the latter w/ Karl Lines: 483 [ADMIN: Copyrights: Little Rat is property of the Dreamer; Iramus of Penny Hutchison; Kev, 'Raelf, 'Raf and Karl of Stephen Hutchison; Teonyl of Aaron Humphrey; and Lancos & Bast of myself. Much thanks to all for their contributions to this (rather long) post...] It wasn't long after the sun had risen that Little Rat did the same. She raised her head quickly, and then calmed down as soon as she realized where she was. The first thing she did was check on Iramus and the things the pony carried, Rat gently stroking his mane all the while. "Good morning, Little Rat." Lancos said with a smile, causing the girl to turn to him with a small look of embarrassment. "Do you think you're ready for some breakfast, before we head back to the Lighthouse?" "Sure, Mr. Lancos. Jus let me wake up Kev. If I don't, he'll pro'bly sleep haf da day." Lancos smiled, knowing that Kev was only pretending to be asleep. He gathered some food together, silently amused by Rat trying to jostle Kev awake. Iramus nickered quietly. A picture appeared in Lancos' head, /Sorry, but you know I'm responsible for his safety./ The warrior replied though the mindlink. /Besides, Rat seems to enjoy his company./ This would've carried more weight if Little Rat hadn't said, at that moment, "C'mon, ya numbnog, or da only food you'll gets will be from searchin' through da trash." Iramus snorted in disgust, then demanded a carrot from Lancos. Lancos only grinned. He was half-tempted to respond, but the earlier attempt had been particularly straining. Likely, the combination of lack of sleep and wearing the medallion had weakened him mentally. Still, he felt it had been worth it, remembering sensations he knew he never would have felt without the experience. Kev and Little soon came over to eat. Bast followed, the cat becoming active again at the smell of food. The meal passed fairly quietly, and afterwards the group quickly packed up everything and headed out of Kron Park. The trip back to the Lighthouse was much the same, with only a murmur of conversation. In general, they felt anything that might have needed to be said had been taken care of in the Green, and they were still thinking about what they individually had learned there. Soon the Lighthouse loomed into view, and Lancos steered them towards the stables. As they stepped into the outside entrance, 'Raelf came out to meet them. "Hi there, folks. We saw you coming, and I thought I'd come help. So, how did things go?" he said, picking Kev up and swinging him in the air. Kev giggled and replied, "I liked it. Da park was cool, an' Mr. Lancos tol' us all about da wild, right, Rat?" "Yeah, it was great." she agreed with a smile. "I'm glad Mr. Lancos is part a dis gang. My nog's buzzin' a bit wif all da new stuff I learnt. I guess dat's da way if always is when you is a knight like he is." Iramus nudged Lancos hard, sending a strong image. 'Raelf choked trying not to laugh out loud. "Yes, it was an experience for all." Lancos said with a sly smirk. "And I'm glad I had such wonderful company for it." "Glad to hear it, Sir Knight." 'Raelf said, grinning as Lancos winced at the title -- but knowing with Little Rat there, he wouldn't protest it. "Why don't you go inside; I'll take care of everything out here." "Are you sure you don't want any help?" the warrior offered. "Sure I'm sure. Little Rat and Kev need to wash up, and you desperately need a bath -- you smell like a civet cat. I set up a hot soaking tub in your room, so you can catch a few minutes rest too." He looked at the heap of equipment being handed down off Iramus. "Besides, I'm the only one who knows where all of this is supposed to go." "All right then, we'll let you take care of it." Lancos conceded. "But first I'll give you the map you asked for." "Great." 'Raelf said, grabbing the scroll and giving it a brief examination. "Thanks, dude, this is primo." "Hey, wait -- I got a gift for Reelya," Little Rat said, dashing over to where Kev was trying to unload one of the saddlebags off of Iramus. She grabbed the vial of flowers stashed in his saddlebag, before looking at 'Raelf. "Don't tell her, ok? I wanna keep it a secret." 'Raelf gave her an encouraging smile. "Ok, I won't. That's a great surprise. ar'Elya loves flowers." Rat returned the smile, and then followed Kev and Lancos into the Lighthouse. * * * * I watched from the living room deck, as Lancos went into his room. He was more tired than he thought, the sort of feeling you get when you've been doing complicated mental puzzles late at night, for house... He didn't seem to notice me, which is just as well. I was busy talking with the gyspy-looking lass off of the Astral Dancer, and he woulc have made some kind of strange remark, and it's hard enough talking to her as it is. About seven hours later I was cleaning off the table in the dining room, when the house daemon told me that Lancos was up and around. The intercom came on, then, numero uno bro online. <> <> <> <> I closed the intercom just in time as Bast walked in, Lancos a half-step behind her. She walked up and said hello, and I replied with a polite stroke under the chin, returning her purr of greeting. "What's new, pussycat," I said, ignoring Lancos for a moment. "Good afternoon, 'Raf." the ranger said politely. "Oh, hi, Lancos," I looked up with mock surprise. Didn't fool him of course, but I didn't expect to. "I hear you had an excellent time in the park." "Yes, we did. But I'm sure you heard all about it from Kev." "Es verdad," I said, smiling as I recalled the report. "So can I fix you and Bast something to eat? It's late lunchtime." "Sure, if it's no bother." "Hey, no problem. I've got leftovers from lunch with Rhythm Song. Hope you like Greek Salad." I pulled a bowl of the salad out of the crisper by the table and dug around in the hamper for some soft cheese and fish for Bast. She wanted milk but I don't like cleaning up after a cat with the runs, and it's been a while since she was a kitten. Lancos looked appraisingly at the salad. "I've learned not to be picky. Besides, everything else you 'kan have made has been wonderful." Lancos shovelled a bite into his mouth. From his expression, I could tell he was very pleased. "And this is no exception." he said between forkfuls. "You're too kind." I gave a small bow. "By the way, do you think you could stop by Game Room 2 later on? I want to a progress check, martial arts wise -- see how you do without armor or weapons. Besides, I want you to help me train Karl -- he's getting all screwed up and a different practice partner would help a lot." "Sure. First though, Kev told me that there's some articles from the Generican Examiner I should look at." "Cool. The library is three doors down from your room, just past the game rooms. All the old papers should be in the rack there." "Great. I'll see you later, then." Lancos rose and headed out of the kitchen, Bast faithfully behind him. * * * * After changing in his room, Lancos easily found the newspapers in the library, lying there as if they were waiting precisely for him. He sorted though them, weeding out ones he hadn't read yet, effectively stacking the oldest on top. Most of the news in them he now knew about, but there were certainly parts that got his full interest. Particularly the ones about war: the warrior frowned heavily at that. Sure, right now it could seem far away, but he had seen war "sneak up" on a city before -- he dearly hoped Generica wouldn't have to get involved in anything like that. But he feared it might one way or the other, if the reports about the tension in Low City were right. And then there was the article Kev had mentioned, about the transformed people. There wasn't much there, at least in the way of things he hadn't said himself. In fact, the item above it, about a meteroite hitting the city, interested his more. Out of curiousity, his eyes went to the date of the paper, as he wondered how he could miss such an event. He couldn't prevent himself from letting out a small gasp on discovering that the paper held what he thought was _tomorrow's_ date. But 'Raf had said that these were the _old_ papers. Which meant Generica's time stream had apparently played a trick on him, causing him to lose a couple of days. It boggled the mind a bit, and he left the library in somewhat of a mental daze. * * * * Lancos walked down the corridor, his mind still deep in thought. Thus it wasn't too surprising that he almost didn't see the female half-elf that also was in the hallway, until she was virtually beside him. The warrior stared at the woman briefly, mainly out of surprise but also with a glimmer of recognition. She had short dark hair, and was dressed simply in tunic and trousers. Something in the way she walked and carried herself suggested a slight furtiveness, as if she were trying to hide and yet telling herself it was a silly idea. Teonyl was no stranger to having eyes fixed on her. She instinctively turned to match the gaze, and found herself face-to-face with a red-haired human. He wore only a forest green tunic, a belt, and hose, and was accompanied by a yellow alley cat. He held an edge of familiarity about him that was rather discomforting; after all, he could as easily be someone from before her life in Generica as someone she'd met after entering the town. Knowing she wouldn't feel totally safe until she knew where she stood with him, she asked, "Do I know you?" Even thought she knew that 'Raelf would not let anyone who wanted to harm her into the Lighthouse, she still tensed to run or fight should that prove necessary. "Er... I think so. I just can't quite place you." Lancos said with a rather embarrassed look. Teonly relaxed slightly. "Oh. Well, do you live here?" 'Raelf certainly seemed to have enough houseguests; she hadn't even met them all yet. The warrior laughed. "I was just about to ask you the same question. No, I'm stationed at the Dragon's Inn. Maybe we saw each other there." "No, that's not my type of place." Not to mention that she couldn't really afford it yet, Teonyl thought to herself. "In fact, neither is this lighthouse, but I came for the party and met a few people here, so..." "Party? The last party I remember was for Luthor's housewarming." A look of confusion crossed Teonyl's face, but it was quickly replaced with one of comprehension. "Hey, _that's_ where I remember you from." she said, slightly embarrassed at not having rememebered the ranger before, despite his change of outfit. "Now if I can recall the name... Lathan, wasn't it?" "Close -- it's Lancos. Lancos Erredan. And yours was... um, T... Teo, no, now I remember: Eowyn." Teonyl's next breath came out as a sigh, at how close this ranger had come to her real name. "That's right." she said with a small smile. "Say, I think Andrea mentioned a Sir Lance -- along with a Lady Blaze -- who was in on the Housestorming. Is that you?" [ADMIN: Obviously, this conversation occurs before the briefing for the Housestorming. I meant to get it out earlier, but such is life...] "Er, that must be someone else. Though, considering my name's 'Lancos', and this is Bast," the cat gave a coincidental meow a second after the mention of her name. "It's an understandable, if humorous mistake. Besides, despite what others might say, I really don't deserve the title 'Sir'." After a brief nod to Bast, the half-elf shrugged. "Oh, well. It could be worse. You could be an Elfslayer." "Elfslayer?!? Who would want to kill all elves? Orcs? Goblins maybe?" Teonyl took great comfort in the fact that Lancos seemed to have no idea what she was talking about; that somewhere the prejudices she had faced in her world were absent. "Never mind -- forgot I said anything." "All right." Lancos said, although he was curious about the subject. "Anyway, I better get going -- 'Raf is expecting me for martial arts practice." He motioned towards his clothing, trying to loosely explain why he was dressed as he was. Teonly nodded, getting the message instantly. "Oh, one more thing -- have you seen a fellow by the name of Alfvaen around recently?" Lancos' brow furrowed. "Hmmm. No, I haven't seen him in a while. Not since that same party, in fact. Though I'm sure one of the 'kan would be able to help you track him down." Teonyl nodded. "All right, I'll talk to them, after I see if any other of the Housestormers are around. Regardless, it was good to meet you again. I hope next time we'll remember each other a little better." "Me too. And good luck on your quest." Lancos waved to Teonly briefly, before opening the game room door. * * * * I tightned the belt on my gi and began stretching. My mind wandered a little, which was annoying because I should be focussing right now. Ah well. All work and no play makes 'Raf a sick 'kan, so I decided to relax and go with the flashback. I had told Karl that I wanted him to practice with Lancos, but I left out the _why_. He liked the idea. I had warned him not to underestimate Lancos, and not to overestimate himself. Typical green-belt response -- he thought he could handle anything. Well, this coming bout should help with that. I stopped stretching and relaxed into a breathing posture. The one thing that could crock this little learning experience is that Karl has gotten to be very good at "pushing" -- he can even drive sensations past _my_ wards. Sometimes. But from what Kev told me, Lancos was good enough to handle it, without losing control. Maybe. We'd see. Karl came in and I started him doing his practice. I was a lot harder on him than yesterday. No pain, no gain. Lancos came in as Karl was almost finished with his practice exercises. He was wearing just a tunic and hose, like I'd requested. Except he still had that amulet in its pouch around his waist. I allowed the satyr to continue, and went over to the ranger. "Why don't you warm up a bit, and I'll tell you what I've got planned." He complied, but did so with a raised eyebrow. "I thought this was a simple spar in martial arts." "I don't _do_ simple." I said, showing my teeth. "Yes, this is martial arts practice. But I want you to go all out. Anything goes. Karl will be doing the same. I'll have the safeties on, so you won't be killed, but you can get hurt. This is a very controlled situation, and I'll be right there, so I can fix anything short of death. But the damage will be real, while it lasts, and it'll hurt just like real." Lancos' eyes narrowed, and I waited a moment for him to digest what I'd said to him. "Oh, and one more thing. While I'm teaching, you do what I say to. If I tell you to attack, you do it. If I tell you stop, you stop, even if you're in the middle of a movement." He nodded impatiently. "Great," I said. "Are you ready?" Lancos gave me the berserker grin I'd seen him wear in battle before. "Sure," he replied, with an edge of readiness mixed with a little confidence. I suppressed my uneasiness and waved to Karl. He came over and bowed politely from the waist. "You both know that this is an all-out spar, and that I'm not going to stop you until I'm satisfied with the outcome." They nodded. I bared my teeth again, and talked to the room for a minute. <> and a soft amber haze grew up from the ground in the room, lighting them both. "All right. Ready, Karl? Ready, Lancos?" When both nodded their hands, I barked, "Begin!", and backed out of range. Lancos attacked first, with a kick aimed at Karl's stomach. The satyr dodged, and twisted to a closer position, readying for his own attack. Being part satyr has its advantages; I could sense the emotional attack Karl was using. He was currently trying to fill Lancos with an apathy that would make the punch coming at his face seem unimportant. I couldn't feel anything coming from Lancos, then I felt a sort of sullen resistance, and he fought off the doldrums enough to block Karl's punch to a glancing blow. He seemed to draw strength from the pain, and returned a counter strike that forced Karl to retreat or be clawed across the face. The satyr smiled grimly and returned to the ready, simultaneously pressing with a sense of friendliness, peaceful good feeling. "Don't." Lancos said softly. Either Karl was laying it on a bit thick or the ranger was more sensitive to this sort of attack than I had thought. Probably both. Karl gave a quick glance my way, but I remained impassive, and Lancos was starting to throw off the "good buddy" feeling, so Karl moved in with a chop aimed at the nerve bundle in the ranger's right shoulder. The right response was a shifting dodge and a block that took the chopping hand and trapped it, opening the satyr for a counterattack to the face or side. But Lancos was still a little impeded by the emotional assault, and instead he spun Karl a short distance away. Karl stopped spinning, staggering to a balanced stance, and whirled. He grinned, menacing, and began to press with a sensation of dread, building it as he circled. The fear was a mistake though. It didn't paralyze Lancos, far from it. The ranger dodged the attack and returned it with his own. Karl ducked and twisted away, though, avoiding any contact. I watched Lancos fighting off the fear response. The satyr was relying too much on emotional attack and not enough on skill, and it was going to backfire soon. Lancos moved to keep in close, knowing that the satyr had more of a problem with balance than he did. Karl tried a combination to the body and the ranger parried it easily, but then the satyr spun and swept with a low kick. Lancos looked poised to jump it, but a wave of awe hit him just hard enough to throw off his response, and he was forced to a forward roll, and Karl ketp the spin going for a kick to the head. I was surprised then -- the ranger fought off the blast of frustation that Karl was projecting and caught the incoming foot in a lift-block that sent the satyr whirling off while Lancos regained his feet. Karl closed agian, returning to the earlier attack, apathy and acceptance, while striking towards the ranger's face. "Stop that." Lancos said in a serious tone, grabbing the arm that had punched and holding it in a lock. I felt the fur on my ears prickling. He was getting stressed, really frantic, but the other emotions hadn't phased him, why this one? I didn't have time to investigate though. Karl had hooked Lancos' other arm, and the two were locked in a contest of strength. Lancos was winning -- he had better leverage and he outmassed the satyr by at least fourty pounds, I need to put those kids on a weight program. But then Karl hit him with a wave of self-doubt, and dropped down, turning the contest into a throw. Lancos rolled to one knee, and Karl charge in head-first, driving in on him again with the feeling of apathy. Which is what I expected, he was taking unfair advantage of Lancos' weak spot, as I had trained him to do. But about a half-step before Karl could drive his horse into the ranger's back, Lancos whirled to the side by shifting legs, and strucks up with a double knife hand, one to the chest and the other to the throat. The satyr tried to roll with the blow, but it sent him flying and he hit the ground with a sickening crunch. "Hold!" I said, unnecessarily, and sidestepped across the room to appear next to Karl. He was stunned and bleeding slightly, and Lancos was still on one knee, breathing hard. So with my usual impeccable timing, number one brother popped in about then. I patched Karl, while 'Raelf checked on Lancos. "Hey, are you all right, dude?" | "Hey, are you all right, dude?" | "Yeah, I'll be fine. Is Karl hurt?" | "Yeah, I think so. How's Lancos?" | "'Raf's looking after him. Right now | "'Raelf's looking after him. Right I'm concerned about _you_." | now I'm examining _you_." | "Everything will be all right, once I | "Hey, nothing's hurt, except maybe catch my breath." | my pride." | "Cool. So, why don't you tell me | "Really? Then you will explain the what happened, then? | fight to me, number two student." | "Well, Karl was twisting my emotions, | "Well, I pushing emotions, like you and it was working well. I was all | said to do. And it was working right, except for the apathy, since | pretty well. He did have some mean then the medallion would try to | defenses. I don't know whether he convince me that giving into it was | adjusted to what I was doing, or just _also_ fine. Between the two, I was | ignored it. Anyway, I started going pressed to keep control, and I guess | for the stuff that got the most rise I just lost it for a second." | out of him, and you saw what happened." | "Don't worry -- no harm done. And | "You lasted longer than I expected. now you have some practice fighting | Now you know what happens when you get with your emotions out of control." | lazy, especially against Lancos." I 'Raelf said with a small smile. | said, letting my teeth show. | "I hope that wasn't the only reason | Karl matched my grin. "I wondered you did this." Lancos replied, | why you chose him. He's got such frowning. "Becuase I think I have a | strong emotional defenses, it was pretty good handle on _that." | intriguing to spar with him." | "Oh? You had some problems with the | "Intriguing, eh? So explain the BBD spell, and that was an emotion | emotions and techniques you chose. attack. Anyway Karl needed a lesson | Why did you try to gore him, and in how good he isn't yet." | why focus on apathy?" | "Really? He seemed competent enough | Karl gave me an embarrassed look. to me. I think if he wanted to he | "I couldn't tell what would work could avoid violent confrontation | 'best", so I went for what would fairly easily. I think even 'Raf | help me win. And I, uh, lost my told me that much. | temper at the end there." | "He should have beaten you. If you | "Yes, we'll discuss that tomorrow didn't have the practice with the | in practice. So what do you mean medallion he would have." | by 'help you win'?" | Now it was Lancos' turn to smile. | "Well, I saw him spar with you, and "As you would say, 'no prob". After | he's preety good. So I figured if I all, I guess you now know that I'm | made him angry or aggressive it would still safe from the medallion. Else | backfire on me. So I tried for I might not have been able to resist | emotions that would make it more as well." | difficult to attack or defend." | "Fer shure. But why do you think I | "Those are good reasons. For most worry about that?" 'Raelf said, with | people it would work. Lancos is a the usual grin. | special case. Stronger instincts." | "Oh, I guess you could just call it | "If you say so. Sometimes I don't instinct." | think I understand humans." They were both on their feet, and I nodded to my other self and put on my "sensei" attitude again. "End of session. Karl, Lancos, hit the showers, while 'Raelf and I work up dinner. Want to stay, Lancos? We're having steaks." "Er, I don't know. I might be back, but I want to check in with my other friends and with Littlefair; sort of let them know I'm still around. Because apparently The Thing's caused me to lose a couple of days." I managed not to blush -- being part lion, having fur, can also be useful. So he'd finally noticed that timeslip, but it was me that caused it, not the Thing. At his request, too, but that had vanished in the whenever. Karl took off down the hall, but I touched Lancos on the shoulder, getting him to hold back a moment. "Take care then. Thanks for helping with Karl." He nodded and went back to his room, and left about twenty minutes later. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mike Sander 344lwkc@cmuvm.csv.cmich.edu