From alt.pub.dragons-inn Thu Apr 7 15:51:24 1994 Xref: netcom.com alt.pub.dragons-inn:7182 Path: netcom.com!netcomsv!decwrl!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!swrinde!ihnp4.ucsd.edu!usc!math.ohio-state.edu!sol.ctr.columbia.edu!newsxfer.itd.umich.edu!nntp.cs.ubc.ca!alberta!gsb010.cs.ualberta.ca!aaron From: aaron@amisk.cs.ualberta.ca (Aaron V. Humphrey) Newsgroups: alt.pub.dragons-inn Subject: [SQ] Run And Hide Date: 5 Apr 1994 01:56:42 GMT Organization: The Anna Amabiaca Fan Club Lines: 125 Message-ID: <2nqggq$ijd@scapa.cs.ualberta.ca> Reply-To: aaron@amisk.cs.ualberta.ca NNTP-Posting-Host: gsb010.cs.ualberta.ca Originator: aaron@gsb010.cs.ualberta.ca ADMIN: The characters in this post are all my property, except for Angus, who I am using in the absence of Bruce Lapham. "I wanna run and hide Right now Avarice and greed are going to drive you over the endless sea They will leave you drifting in the shallows Drowning in the oceans of history" --World Party, "Ship of Fools" Maleiu refused to show any outward signs of his anxiety over Radan's prolonged absence. He tried to help the sailors wherever possible--they were quite grateful for his strength at times--and spent time with Mistletoe otherwise. There was something subdued about the sailors today, though. They'd politely, but somewhat nervously, refused his help when he offered. Mistletoe was sitting on a makeshift deckchair, reading the book she'd borrowed from Blythe, and at the moment he was loath to disturb her. A quick scan of the ship revealed that Bronwen wasn't about either, nor was Angus. The two of them were perhaps sequestered together, and Maleiu wasn't about to disturb them either. So he leaned against the port railing, stared out on the sun dancing on the waves, and brooded on his own thoughts: his near-hopeless quest; what awaited them on their return to Generica, if they did return there at all; his future with Mistletoe; what the village of Nariawah looked like now, almost a decade after he had left. His hunter's instinct drew him back to the present before he actually heard the sounds. Angus cried out, "What the devil--" and then his voice diminished to a gurgle. Maleiu's senses suddenly heightened feverishly. He became aware of the crewmembers nearby, trying too hard to appear innocuous. There were three of them, and he recognized two as among the strongest of the sailors. No doubt the third was as well. Remi, it seemed, had finally made his move. Maleiu had regarded this as inevitable, if Radan didn't return in time. He wished the Kelsie had been able to follow and lend him aid. And then it registered that the sprite was mysteriously absent as well. He turned slowly. He had been right in his estimation--three sailors, all heavily muscled. One of them was a tattooed Antillean, and the others Northerners, blond hair incongruous against their darkly-tanned skin. Maleiu smiled. "Hello, gentlemen. Do you want a rematch at arm-wrestling, perhaps?" At their momentary hesitation, he feinted at one Northerner, and then lunged between the other two. His spears were in his chamber--and perhaps by now even in a sailor's possession--but a boathook lay on the deck nearby. A hand closed on his ankle as he dove between the pair, but he wrenched it loose before it could get a firm grip and rolled across the deck and to his feet, running. He considered his options. He was outnumbered, and until he discovered otherwise he had to assume his other companions had already been taken. He could go for the rigging, but then he would be cornered, and if anyone had a bow, or even a sling, he'd be a sitting duck. Belowdecks had similar disadvantages, without the advantage of height the rigging would give him. There was nowhere to flee... No, there was one place to flee, after all. He had the boathook by this point. The strongmen had shouted for assistance--he must be the last, or else they would not be so open--and it wasn't far from arriving. He stood for a moment with his back against the starboard railing, assessing his opposition. The Northerners had pulled swords, and the Antillean had a coil of rope. He was the most dangerous. The other crewmen had swords and other assorted weapons, but Maleiu imagined they would probably let the strongmen deal with him first. He maneuvered so that one of the Northerners was always between him and the Antillean. The Northerners grinned, eager for blood. One of them lunged forward with his sword, which Maleiu blocked with the boathook; the other kept back, obviously watching for weakness. The Northerner had no real skill with his blade, though, relying too much on his strength. Maleiu easily lured him into a swing which threw him off-balance and momentarily blocked his partner; he took advantage of the opportunity to snag the weapon with his hook and wrench it from the Northerner's grasp. There was a murmur at that, and a couple of the crewmen started to move forward. Maleiu would have to finish this fast. He tossed the boathook and sword over his shoulder, allowing a look of dismay to cross his face as he heard them splash into the ocean. Then he grabbed his disarmed opponent in a shoulder hold. The other Northerner moved forward, maneuvering to get a blow without risking him to his partner. The Antillean prepared to cast his rope. Maleiu stepped back, kicking the railing behind him. The Northerner, sensing an opening, threw his weight forward. The railing snapped entirely under the pressure. Both opponents teetered for the moment; the Antillean tried a desperate cast with his rope that succeeded only in tangling the other Northerner's sword. Then Maleiu heaved himself and his opponent backward into the ocean. *** "What now, captain?" Arbelec asked as Remi stood looking over the broken railing. "Full sail. He may still be alive down there, so we'd best get away from here as fast as possible. Run with the wind for now, and when we're clear away make for Valkeer." The second mate nodded and went to give orders to the sailors. Remi stood watching for a moment longer as the sails were raised and the ship turned into its heading. He'd thought the Dark warrior would be his most formidable opponent, with the sorceror Radan gone. He'd put of more of a fight than the rest, but he'd miscalculated at the end. Remi hadn't gotten a good glimpse of Maleiu's face before he fell. But he didn't think he'd seen a look of horror, or dismay. He could swear the warrior had been grinning. -- --Alfvaen(Editor of Communique) Current Album--Aztec Camera:Knife Current Read--Antony Swithin:The Nine Gods of Safaddne "pretend the needle thickens." --lstewart