Xref: netcom.com alt.pub.dragons-inn:7376 Path: netcom.com!netcomsv!netcomsv!halsoft.com!news.hal.COM!olivea!spool.mu.edu!howland.reston.ans.net!agate!library.ucla.edu!news.mic.ucla.edu!unixg.ubc.ca!cairns From: cairns@unixg.ubc.ca (Andrew Cairns) Newsgroups: alt.pub.dragons-inn Subject: Fear of Humans [new--'TC'] Date: 10 Jun 1994 02:42:50 GMT Organization: University of British Columbia, Vancouver, B.C., Canada Lines: 77 Message-ID: <2t8jva$j36@nnrp.ucs.ubc.ca> NNTP-Posting-Host: unixg.ubc.ca X-Newsreader: TIN [version 1.2 PL2] (DESCRIPTIONS of Terri & Caltho Zawanne, which I forgot in the earlier msg.) TERRI ZAWANNE Vaguely generic with respect to race. A psionic, though still not adept at TK. Mixed black and blonde hair (for some reason), tan skin, green eyes. Never takes off her headband, which completely covers her ears. Tall, average strength, and dextrous. CALTHO ZAWANNE Race: See Above. Clerical skills. Brown hair, tan skin, brown eyes. Wears a cap with earflaps. Strong, mediocre dexterity, healthy. SCs: Jedall Germishre, Gelu Mevd. --STRAIGHT DOWN--THREAD: TERRI-CALTHO (TC)-- "I hear you're new in town," Jedall Germishire had said. How he had gotten them to do this, she couldn't remember. But wading through a stream for the last hour, Terri could say with confidence, was not her idea of something she would readily do. Generally to her, that meant getting Caltho's broadsword again. And boy, had she tried. Gelu Mevd, the other member of their party, was whispering something to Caltho up ahead, but Terri was concentrating on her knife. Concentrating hard, and for a psi, that means something. ----------TWO HOURS AND FOURTEEN DEATH WISHES LATER---------- And that knife began to jell into something real for Terri when Jedall was the last one across a creaky rope bridge. She remembered, however, that if she cut the bridge they wouldn't be able to get back... Maybe when we go home. The towering cliffs of this part of the Underwurlde were dwarfed by what was to come, a massive tower reaching ten or twelve miles high. The group passed under the doorway, offering speculations as to who built the structure. Their words reverberated in the hall, to be heard by any who dwealt within. A bat fluttered, and a string snapped. That string alerted the race's guards. In a flash,...well,... "...Who turned the lights out?" Terri asked warily. "Terri, that's cliche. But I think I do have some phosphor moss. Hold on a second." Caltho rummaged through his backpack, bringing out a light so faint as to be undetectable anywhere except in complete darkness. Even then, it offered no solace for Jedall or Gelu, but for the Zawaane family, it was a great comfort. "Give me a piece of that, Caltho, I don't want to be left lightless if you fall off a cliff or something." "Okay." "Wait a minute," Jedall realized, "how can you possibly see with so feeble a light?" "Easy," said Terri, "we use our eyes. C'mon." "But I can't see!" said Gelu. "What? Calth--" "Of course. Light a torch or something, Terri." "I don't get it! Why?" Terri struck a match anyway, and was about to light the torch, when suddenly two lights began to burn at a far end of the room, illuminating a door. The match blew out. "Huh?" Terri puzzled. Jedall and Gelu rubbed their eyes, got up, and began walking to the door, it being the only thing they could see. Terri tucked her phosphor moss (Phozmozz, 3 gold, Germaig Trade) under her headband and followed them. Caltho started shortly after. ----------AFTER ONE OR TWO...HUNDRED...VERY CONFUSING PUZZLES...---------- Terri stepped, haggard, into a room almost identical to all the others. A spot on the floor was illuminated. The party, after quite a bit of strategy, managed to all stand on the spot... and suddenly dropped through a trapped door into a room with a great idol beside one wall. A loud voice pronounced: "You have all done well in getting to this point. Not many have. I bestow upon half of you the ability of one to many. Caltho and Terri, you already have this skill; thus you do not need it. Jedall and Ge..." The words' reverberations took their toll. The rumbles intensified into a full scale cave-in, and slowly, the dust settled. -------------------- Caltho and Terri crawled out of the final pile of wreckage, and made their way back to Generica. They wondered whether they would see the two again, whether they had done any good, and whether this story had any point. Bye now!