From alt.pub.dragons-inn Thu Mar 10 15:39:34 1994 Xref: netcom.com alt.pub.dragons-inn:7098 Newsgroups: alt.pub.dragons-inn Path: netcom.com!csus.edu!wupost!howland.reston.ans.net!news.intercon.com!news.pipeline.com!malgudi.oar.net!sun!vax.cns.muskingum.edu!hsexauer From: hsexauer@vax.cns.muskingum.edu (Rapunzel) Subject: [Legacy] Diagnosis Message-ID: <1994Mar10.093738.1@vax.cns.muskingum.edu> Lines: 383 Sender: root@sun.cns.muskingum.edu (Operator) Organization: Muskingum College Date: Thu, 10 Mar 1994 14:37:38 GMT Kieriah stood over the child with a wide smile on her lips. The boy was no more than ten years old but a very skilled pickpocket. He had very nearly picked her own pocket before she had caught a glimpse of him and caught him. Rian was a charming boy with dark brown hair, blue eyes and a sweet face. His clothes were just on the near side of being rags, and dirty like most little boys. "Well my young friend, I am certainly glad to make your acquaintance. You really should make sure whose purse you are lifting before you try it though," the Lyorn girl advised. "Some thieves are not as forgiving as I am." "I'll try to remember that next time," he replied impishly. Rian turned to Ruel and dug a pouch out of his tunic. He offered it to the valeman with an embarrassed apology. Ruel accepted it soundlessly. "Good. Now that we've established a few rules here, why don't you tell me where I can find the den around here," Kieriah suggested pointedly. Rian squirmed under her eyes. "Well, there isn't exactly one here. We're all sort of freelance since there is hardly anything here to make business worthwhile." "I'd noticed that," she replied wryly. "But surely there is someone who is more or less in charge. You didn't learn your trade on your own I'm sure." "Oh no. Of course not. I can take you to Chandra. She's the one who keeps in touch with every professional in the town." "Thank you, we'd appreciate it." Ruel and Kieriah had not been in the town long before having their encounter with the young thief. They had walked most of the main streets searching for a suitable place to spend the night. In a town like this one where the only ones who wanted to be there were the inhabitants, there were no inns or taverns that boasted rooms. At last they had entered one of the taverns and were just sitting down at a table when Kieriah felt a change in the air near her hip. She had turned just in time to grab the wrist of the scruffy street urchin who had already picked Ruel's pocket. They followed the child down several of the smaller side streets to a tiny pub on the edge of the town near the south gates that opened onto the river behind the town. Inside the place was elegantly furnished, and apparently a high class establishment. Ruel looked the place over suspiciously, eying the well dressed patrons and the uniformed servers. Rian told Kieriah in a low voice to ask one of the servers for the kingfish and a private table. She complied and the server raked all three with a measuring glance before motioning them to follow. They were led into a back room where stairs led down into a basement. At the bottom of these stairs was a long, wide room that was furnished with what looked like cast off items from various houses. A handsome woman in her later years sat curled in one of the many chairs with a cup of tea on her lap. The server bowed shortly to the woman and departed. "Please be seated. May I offer you anything?" she asked in a musical voice. Kieriah and Ruel declined, but for Rian she pointed to a tin box that contained several types of cookies. "You are Chandra?" Kieriah asked politely. "Yes. Welcome to my home and office. You and your companion are new to the town." It was not a question, it was a statement. If anything, she knew her town well. Kieriah nodded. "I am from the far east across the ocean. But have relocated to this vale temporarily. My companion is from this vale." "So I see. What would you have of me?" the woman asked in her soft voice. She cradled her cup in her hands and swirled it contents slowly. "I needed some help finding a good physician who won't ask questions. I had intended to check with the thieves' den first for their members. But Rian said there was no true den in this town," Kieriah said. Chandra nodded as she listened to the Lyorn girl's words. She smoothed a lock of gray streaked raven hair behind one ear. "I am the closest thing to a leader the thieves here have. Many of them I have raised from childhood and rescued from the dregs of society. The servers you saw in the pub above are all my people. A convenient front for the business that the authorities don't suspect as well as earning some honest coin," Chandra said in an amused tone. "I am impressed," Kieriah congratulated with true feeling. She was indeed surprised that a society such as this one would be that well organized in the face of the odds it had. "But, I believe I can help you. I know of one man who will undoubtedly fit your needs. I will send for him now, but you know you won't be able to leave safely until dawn," she warned. Chandra sent Rian with a message for the physician to come immediately. "I appreciate your help. Can you fill me in on any information about this region that you think would be helpful?" Kieriah asked. "I can. Although why you chose to relocate to this vale is beyond me. It has not been safe here for six centuries, and grows worse each decade." "I hadn't really known about it until I came here," she replied truthfully. "And right now I really have no choice but to stay. Certain investments, shall we say, are at risk now." "I will respect your privacy and not ask, though I am quite curious about these investments. As to your prior request, I can only give you news of the immediate area as we are not able to travel far now. This town has been under Shekiren reign for almost a hundred and fifty years now. Once the evil ones had conquered the Lyorn territories, they turned their attentions to the rest of the vale. "They invaded the lands around us and further to the north, sending a horde of their minions to weaken us first. For quite some time we actually did rather well, though the territories around us fell. Partly because of our position on this bluff and partly because no one had actually concentrated on diminishing us yet. We used to receive aid from some of the northern towns near the Pass, but these stopped sending help for some unknown reason two centuries ago. "And so without further aid, we were forced to rely on ourselves. We lasted for perhaps forty years until the Shekiren themselves came. It was not long after then that we lost our fight. The Shekiren placed the icari over us to be our keepers and prevent us from breaking our bonds. Even so it was another fifteen years before we gave up trying. Every time we attempted to revolt, the icari gathered in force and stole away our children. We never saw them again. The icari are flesh eaters like all the Shekiren's lot. Who could keep fighting when the cost was so precious? So now we try to live our lives as best we can on what we are allowed by the evil ones. We follow their directives to the letter so as not to invoke their retribution. It may not be the ideal life, but we can keep our lives. It's better than the alternative. Anyone who dies at their hands is said to be forever their servants in spirit." Ruel frowned at the last words. He had said nothing during the entire interview since he knew little about the dealings of thieves. He would have asked again about the tale of the Shekiren's servants, as his father had been killed by a Shekiren, but Rian chose that moment to return with the physician in tow. The man who stumbled in behind the young thief hardly looked capable of taking care of himself let alone another person. He was very drunk and seemed to be having a hard time even moving his feet in the same general direction. Chandra frowned in disgust at his display, but addressed him anyway. "Been in the ale barrels again have you, old sot?" she said scathingly. She gestured to Rian to push the tottering old physician into a chair and get him some strong coffee. The pickpocket obeyed and went back up the stairs to find the requested coffee. Chandra called after him to have the cook prepare dinner for five while he was at it. She sighed and looked at her guests again. "I realize he seems useless, but Shakir here really is the best physician in town when he's sober. That's why he treats the thieves, because he rarely is sober; no one else in town trusts him." Ruel was obviously skeptical of her claims. He had one corner of his mouth pulled up and eyebrow raised as he studied the heap of flesh collapsed in the chair next to him. "I'm not sure I do either. We want Aleric to get better, not worse," he stated dubiously. He leaned over and pried one eyelid open and examined the glassy ball beneath. "Don't worry. We'll ply him with strong coffee and lots of food. That should dry him out somewhat. I'd trust him with my own life, and have on more than one occasion," she assured the reluctant valeman. Several cups of coffee and a full meal later, the old man had indeed sobered up a great deal. He was coherent enough to ask what the problem was and to listen to the details. Kieriah and Ruel did their best to answer considering they knew little about his actual condition or how it started. "We're not really sure when he began showing symptoms," Ruel said scratching his cheek. "My guess is that he was infected by something when that ghoul was chewing on his shoulder." The old physician drew his brows together as he thought. "A ghoul? Where did you encounter it? Usually they won't attack someone unless they have the advantage of numbers." "Oh they had the advantage all right. Believe me." "And you say your friend was bitten by one? Not just clawed?" Ruel leaned forward and rested one elbow on his knee. "I would call its little grotesque body hanging from Aleric's shoulder by its teeth biting, wouldn't you?" "Don't get hostile. I am simply trying to determine exactly what happened so I can decide what can be done to aid the man." The old sot's beard bristled as he talked, preparing for a fight. Kieriah stretched her arm out and placed her hand on Ruel's arm to quiet him. "Yes, he was definitely bitten. Our mage did something to help speed his healing, and he seemed to be doing well for several days. His attention was frequently distracted, but I always figured it was just that he was worrying about our mission." Her delicate face reflected her own worry for her beloved brother and his plight. "When did this change so that you noticed something was wrong?" Ruel and Kieriah exchanged glances, debating whether or not to edit this part of the story. The Lyorn girl shrugged slightly, but Ruel shook his head no. The valeman drew a deep breath and continued to story. "One night he paid no attention to anything and seemed to be having trouble moving. By the next morning he was burning up with fever and lost in a private hell. He's been fighting us ever since, doesn't seem to recognize us and won't let us help him. Just a day or two ago he started gasping off and on." The physician had started shaking his head as Ruel neared the end of his account. He sat back in his chair stroking his beard while he thought, muttering softly to himself. When he finally seemed to come to a mental decision his eyes sought their faces again. "About the only thing I can tell you is to arrange for his funeral. Your friend has been knocking at Death's door since he was bitten. The only thing that's left is to wait for Death to answer." "No," Ruel protested. "There has to be something you can do for him." His words denied the physician, but his eyes betrayed his feeling. The valeman knew in his heart there was nothing to be done for his friend. It wasn't the first time someone had died from the night haunts. Kieriah wasn't nearly so calm. Tears welled up in her eyes and spilled down her cheeks. She dropped to her knees before the old man and clutched at his hands. "Please! You can't let him die! I'm sure that if you tried hard enough you could help him. If you would just come with us you can see him, it's not so bad really. He just needs someone to give him the right treatment." Her thin shoulders shook with sobs, her whole being rejecting the man's words. "Child, you move me to tears, but there is absolutely nothing I can do for your friend," the man repeated firmly. "These monstrosities the Shekiren summon are all evil. They have some kind of venom that is injected when they bite someone. The victim invariably dies. I have never seen a single case to the contrary." He pulled his hands from the girl's and looked to Chandra. "I need a drink. Don't you have something around here?" The leader of the thieves shook her head. Her eyes were on the grieving girl on the floor with her hands in her lap where they had fallen. Her expression was compassionate. She watched as the valeman reached down to gather the girl in his arms and pat her shoulder gently. Kieriah buried her face in his shoulder and cried. After several attempts at clearing her throat, Chandra finally succeeded and asked Rian to prepare accommodations for the two visitors. They would be remaining with her for the night. The physician was dismissed, and he left grumbling about heartless women and needing a drink. When the body in his arms was no longer wracked with sobs, Ruel asked Chandra if there were some place he could lie her down. Chandra nodded and rose to her feet, indicating Ruel should follow. She arched one eyebrow when she saw him pick up the slight looking girl. Ruel did not seem to be carrying her as easily as he ought a girl of that size. "Illusion," he explained shortly. "Neither one of us are exactly what we seem." Chandra nodded absently as if she didn't really believe him. She guided him to a side chamber where Rian had set up several cushions on the floor into a pair of beds and was presently depositing blankets on them. Ruel carefully settled the silent girl on the cushion and covered her with a blanket. She kept her eyes closed through all this, though the tears ran their course down her stained cheeks. They left her there and returned to the main chamber. Chandra resumed her place gracefully. "Exactly who is it that you are trying to help?" Ruel blew out his cheeks briefly. He saw no harm in telling her part of the story. "Her brother is the one who is ill. He is following a prophecy to rid the Vale of the Shekiren. There are six of us who are helping him, one of which is another brother. Kia and her brothers are Lyorns, and without Aleric, there is no way the Shekiren can ever be destroyed." "Ah. I see. She is rather short for a Lyorn. I had always heard they were very tall," Chandra pointed out. "As I said, illusion," Ruel countered. "I am not nearly as old as I look and she is very much taller than she looks." "And where do you go from here, assuming your friend lives?" inquired Chandra. "Well, our goal was Highspire. Once we got to the keep we really didn't have any plans as to how to get in or complete our mission." "Perhaps I may be of help. Were you aware that the river continues southeast and passes near the keep?" Ruel shook his head. "I am from the far north of the Vale. I know little about geography down here." "In that case I should probably outline the details. The river comes out of the high ranges to the west, and runs through the foothills here before turning southward again and sinking below the earth. It passes into the caverns at a point not far from Highspire, but does not alter its course until almost the Finger Pass. The river leads through several subterranean caverns that over the years have carved underneath the keep itself. I understand one can get inside the keep from those caverns." Ruel thought about the information. It was certainly useful, assuming the quest could continue if Aleric died. There wouldn't be much point after that. Then again, even if they did continue, they would need a boat of some sort. He said as much to Chandra. "Now that's not much of a problem," she said. "I can arrange to have one meeting any specifications you need waiting for you if you give me three days." She cocked her head and gazed at the valeman while he considered. "And what would you ask in return for aiding us?" The leader of the thieves sighed. "Ordinarily I would ask to be paid a suitable amount for services rendered such as that. But in this case your quest is to rid the Vale of a threat that affects us all. That would be payment enough for me." "I will think about it and discuss it with my companions. At this point I am not sure what will happen if my friend dies," the valeman told her. "Kia and I must first make our way back to our company, and that can't be until morning." "Where are your friends now?" "They were going to make camp at the river below the waterfalls. We'll have to circle around." "Not necessarily. We thieves always have at least one back door in case of a backfire. I'll have Rian guide you out to the rive by one of these, bypassing the icari entirely. The only good thing about them is that they aren't particularly intelligent. They'd never think to look for things like concealed passages." Ruel thanked her once more, stifling a yawn. It had been a long and tiring day, then the tension of sneaking into the town had taken its toll. The valeman excused himself for the night promising to talk to her further about the details at dawn the next day. So saying, he rose and withdrew to the side chamber where his bed had been laid out. His gaze slid across to Kieriah's covered form on the other bed. She hadn't moved from where he set her, and he didn't know if she were awake or not. Ruel decided to save his news for the morrow and let her sleep. He slipped past her quietly and sought his own rest. He lay down and wrapped himself in a blanket against the chill dampness of the cellar. Before long, he slept. At dawn the following day the young thief crept in and woke Ruel and Kieriah. He held a tiny candle in his hands, unlit as yet. "It's starting to get light outside. Once there is enough light to see we can start down to the river," Rian said softly. Ruel nodded and sat up. Rian started as he caught a look at Ruel's face. "What? Is something wrong?" the valeman asked quickly. "You're face! You look younger today than you were yesterday," the child said, confused. "Oh. I guess Tierge's illusion has worn off. No, this is how I always look. It's okay, but wait until you see Kia. I think you'll be very surprised." Ruel touched Kieriah's shoulder to wake her. She rolled over and sat up quickly, shaking her head to brush the copper hair from her face. Rian was indeed surprised, his little mouth opened in astonishment. "Why don't you go tell Chandra we'll be ready to leave in a moment," Ruel suggested. Rian nodded and left the room with a quick backward glance. "Uh-oh. We're going to have some trouble leaving I see. Tierge's illusion is gone," Kieriah said. She quickly twisted her hair into a braid and tossed it over her shoulder. When she stood Ruel was reminded anew how very tall she was. He'd gotten so used to seeing her, then her brief appearance of being short threw her stature in full relief. "Guess again," he said with a smile. "I talked with Chandra further last night and she proved to be very helpful. But I'll wait until we return to the company before I repeat it all. For now, we've got a backdoor to find." -- Heather Sexauer Muskingum College hsexauer@muskingum.edu "We'll never survive....." "Nonsense. You're only saying that because no one ever has." -- Princess Bride