From alt.pub.dragons-inn Wed Feb 2 13:06:22 1994 Newsgroups: alt.pub.dragons-inn Path: netcom.com!netcomsv!decwrl!olivea!sgigate.sgi.com!sgiblab!twg.com!eco.twg.com!psinntp!isc-newsserver!ritvax.isc.rit.edu!ABB6731 From: abb6731@ritvax.isc.rit.edu (Mr. Sinister) Subject: (part 2) Message-ID: <1994Jan31.173250.19606@ultb.isc.rit.edu> Sender: news@ultb.isc.rit.edu (USENET News System) Nntp-Posting-Host: vaxa-eth.isc.rit.edu Reply-To: abb6731@ritvax.isc.rit.edu Organization: Rochester Institute of Technology Date: Mon, 31 Jan 1994 17:32:50 GMT Lines: 233 The stars emerged as the glow of the sun faded from orange to a soft bluish-pink, as if they were afraid of the sun's glory. The moon shed her gentle light. The notes of a harp drifted forward to the companions as they sat eating from the stern of the ship, both delighting and surprising them. "I did not know we had a harper in our midst. I'm done, I shall see who plays so beautifully." Per rose and turned, she had been facing the prow, and discovered Valeria cradling a black-framed harp, gently plucking its strings. Aleric turned, also enchanted by the tune, to see Valeria sitting with a harp in her lap looking at the moon as it rose. He started at this, for no one had seen her before this, or heard her come on deck. Her gown ruffled softly in the breeze, shimmering under the light of the stars, her eyes glinted as she looked back at Aleric. Per bowed, and turned to the entrance to the cabins. Quaeros followed, murmuring something about a pipe. He soon emerged from below deck. Trying his best to ignore the rolling of the deck, he silently picked his way over to where Valeria was playing. He drew a long wooden case out of an inside pocket of his jacket and asked her, "Do you mind if I accompanied you? It has been far too long since I last played." Valeria nodded her acquiescence, and Quaeros opened the case, removing the ornately-carved silver flute within. At the sight of the flute Valeria faltered a moment as he drew it out, but recovered and continued her lilting melody. Replacing the case in his jacket pocket, he sat down across from Valeria and began to play, weaving a counter melody around the sound of the harp. As he played, he visibly relaxed, closing his eyes and devoting all of his attention to the music. Peregrine proceeded back to her cabin, and reaching it, retrieved the package from the washstand, and searched her pack. Finding the small clay bowl that served as a burner, she placed it on the stool and unwrapped the cloth bundle. The flasks of oil were still intact. There was one large one of common, though pleasant-smelling, lamp oil, and a smaller one of strong herbal oil. It was a mixture of her favorite herbs, and the gift of a kind wisewoman she had once known. This oil, when burned, not only scented, it replaced the old scent. She'd had this for many years, and yet the scent-oil flask's contents had not diminished. Probably another aspect of the charm. Again she reached into her pack and withdrew a small glass rod. She placed it on the stool. Uncorking the large flask, she poured a quantity of the oil into the clay lamp. She replaced the stopper and opened the herbal oil. She slowly poured it, adding the precise amount needed, and today, though she didn't know why, she added a bit more after that. She recorked the flask, and carefully rewrapped the two flasks and placed them in her pack. She delicately picked up the glass rod, the firestick, and concentrated. The tip of the wand was glowing red with heat, and she applied it to the wick of the lamp. The strong but pleasant scent diffused throughout the room. She hoped the next to use this cabin would appreciate it. She certainly did. The firestick she replaced in her pack, and Peregrine knelt before the stool, head bowed. About midnight there came a change in the weather. The wind dropped, the sea calmed, silence. Valeria had stayed on deck, she loved to watch the stars twirl and wander high up in the heavens. Quaeros was also awake and on deck. He was sitting near the mast, stargazing, meditating, and praying under the open sky. The only crew left were the steers man and lookout, the first mate was below tending to something. Suddenly something caught Valerias eye, a glimmering on the sea off the port side about 100 yards. She looked, but it was gone, puzzled she continued to watch the water. From directly beneath her came a rushing of bubbles and a great noise of water moving fast. She looked down into the jaws of death and only just managed to fall backwards in time. A great serpentine head reared above her, green and yellow eyes flickering in the darkness, a thousand sharp teeth that looked more like carving knives, and a forked tongue that shot out tasting the air. Valeria screamed. The steers man was wildly ringing a bell, and the look out was crying for the ships crew to awake. At that moment another head shot up out of the water behind the ship. For a moment it hung poised above the steers man then plunged down, mouth agape. He didn't have time to cry out before it was back below the waves. At the noise, Quaeros looked up from his meditation only to see some huge creature rearing above Valeria. He raised his voice in a quiet, dirge-like chant as he stood, calling upon the power of his god to give this beast a taste of its own death. The serpent's eyes briefly lost their focus, and it shuddered as the ties holding its soul to its body were twisted. It reared up and pulled away from the ship, away from Valeria. Quaeros grinned and drew both his daggers from his belt. He called to Valeria, "That should teach that thing some manners! But you'd better move, since I don't think a little pain will distract it a second time!" Valeria snatched up her harp from where it had fallen, and fled the deck. Aleric heard the commotion on deck and jerked his head up to listen further. He had been apparently toying with his starstone when the noise started, and now thrust it back where it belonged. Pulling his sword from its sheath as he passed it, he climbed the ladder two rungs at a time. He had just emerged and stepped away when a small form with dark hair rushed past and disappeared below. It took only a moment to discover why the commotion had begun, as a large scaly head thrust into view only yards away. It was lunging for several of the sailors, who were not adequately armed to defend themselves. Aleric took the opportunity of the creature's preoccupation with the screaming sailors to open a long gash in its neck. He knew he'd be unable to kill it by himself, but perhaps he could drive it off, or occupy it long enough for the rest of the crew to come to their aid. The Lyorn began feinting with the serpent, causing small wounds and keeping it at bay. Kyar groaned and awakened slowly to the sound of the alarm bell. After a moment he realized something was wrong, quickly jumped into his pants, grabbed his blade and rushed up on deck, crashing into Valeria as she hurtled down the ladder. It took Per precious moments to clear the fog from her mind. Screams, bells, shouts of alarm filled the air. She rose slowly, the lamp in her hands, her eyes taking in the scene. Turning into the hallway to the deck, she heard a muffled cry to her right. Turning she saw Kyar knocked back down the ladder by Valeria as she flew past him. She barely had time to retreat into her cabin to avoid a like fate. Entering the hall again she followed after Kyar. Kyar arrived just in time to see the steersman swallowed. Another head arose on the starboard side. He reached out for the power of the sea, hoping that the effect of Leberenth's stone had worn off. Fortunately it had. A head rose to his right. As the power flowed into his body, he leaped forward, hacking at the head that had just arisen. The blade of Terhal pierced the skin over the creatures eye, and the head jerked back, letting forth a horrid cry. Kyar barely avoided the bite of a second head, and rolled away. Per raced up to the deck, and saw a horrific sight. Her knees gave out and she started muttering pleas of desperation. Sea monsters were a vivid memory from her Island past, she'd known many taken by such a creature as attacked them now. It seemed she'd soon be one of them. She racked her memory for tales of sea monsters. There must be some way to deal with such a creature! Valeria headed straight for the hold and there hid amongst the boxes and crates, tears streaming from here eyes. One of the heads centered on Peregrine as she sat lost before the cabin hatch. The cold eyes gleamed as it sturck. Per cried out, and unthinkingly, flung the lamp into its maw. The jaws snapped shut, shattering the lamp, and the head recoiled. The creature certainly hadn't expected a mouthful of burning incense, it had been expecting a tasty morsel. The head she'd flung the lamp into didn't seem that well. In fact, it was looking rather pained and had stopped moving. Per hoped her incense was perfuming its brain. Small tendrils of smoke emerged from its mouth. It seemed the burning wick had lit the oil. In a great rush and splash the head dived down under the water once more. Now only two were left, and these had already been wounded by Kyar and Quaeros. Per grinned as inspiration dawned. Grabbing cabin boy she told him to find as many bottles as he could. She then dashed back to her cabin and ransacked her pack for the firestick and oil bottle. If it really did refill itself, she'd find out soon. She ran back up to the deck, and found the bewildered cabin boy with an armful of bottles. She filled each with oil, and lit the oil. Thank the gods that the oil was not running out. She handed a bottle to the cabin boy and any crew around her, telling them to throw it into a mouth. Soon the entire ship smelled like herbs, and this seemed to make the monsters back off further, but not stop attacking. Another crew member fell prey to a snatch and grab attack from the serpents. Peregrine was becoming desperate and screamed. Somebody nearby was chanting death rites. Leberenth of course. He was standing in the prow of the ship, a blue shield of energy surrounding him. Per ran from where she had been filling bottles straight at Leberenth. A fanged grin showed on his lips as she ran towards the shield, but melted like butter when she ran straight through it as though it was not there. Per slapped a hand across his mouth, and pressed down all the harder when he bit it. "Medelsome wench!" he spat, "Look what you've done!" Leberenth suddenly dived through her knocking them both down out of the prow as fanged jaws slammed into the deck where only a moment before they stood. Per, after landing hard on Leberenth, and taking satisfaction in knocking the wind out of him, was using her other hand to tear a gag. "You, darkling, saving me? Or just your own skin, and couldn't avoid saving mine in the process?" Unable to speak, he glared, bit and squirmed. "Stop fighting. I will not hurt you. But it is pleasant to see you helpless in rage like this." The absurdity of this calm and unhurried one-sided conversation in such a situation escaped neither, and if they had not been enemies, they might have laughed at it together. Per grinned, took her hand off his mouth, and tied the gag around his head. Leberenth was too dazed and out of breath to stop her. Per couldn't stand to hear death rites, and now was about the worst time possible. She started singing a lullaby over him, as there was no possibility of Leberenth being helpful, he'd probably helped summon the monster. The best thing apart from killing him, was to keep him helpless, and the closest she could get to that right now was sleep, being unable to get rope or tear cloth strips for bonds -- only through some very careful knifework and using a tear in her breeches had she been able to make a gag. Leberenth's eyes had widened when she removed the strip of cloth from her leg, exposing a little more of it than she had bargained for, yet no matter. Unfortunately the lullaby she was singing was so strong it was putting the crew and Companions to sleep. One of the serpents near her began to sway in the water. Its eyes glazed over and it fell head long across the boat. She sang yet louder, yet more clearly. The heads of the other monsters, damaged somewhat from the battle, sank slowly, slowly until finally they had vanished below the waves. Exhausted she sat on the sleeping Leberenth, then drawing a dagger she toyed with the dark elf's hair. "I wonder ..." musing she proceeded to shave a small area of his head. "We'll see how obnoxious you are now, darkling, when you wake bruised, sore, and bound. It *will* be amusing to watch your reaction when you wake up." She smiled an evil little smile, fetched some rope, sat down to tie him up, and then pulled his limp form up with her, and carried it to the mast. With care she bound him to the mast, knowing he'd make enough hue and cry when he woke up to get some water out of the crew, and to get untied. Though she might take advantage of the situation to extract various promises..... She walked slowly back to her cabin. "Ye gods, what a night." Quaeros began chanting his own death rites, oblivious to the glares he was receiving from Per. One of the sailors had been terribly wounded by the serpent. His breath came in quick gasps as blood oozed from the deep gashes where the serpent had bit him. Quaeros walked to him and, kneeling down, slit his throat with a dagger. Unseen as she walked down into the cabin, Leberenths head raised slightly. The slits of his eyes opened, flashing a red glow as he watched her descend. He would have his revenge. The wind rose yet the boat did not move, the prone form of the serpent lying over the deck. __________________________________________________________