From alt.pub.dragons-inn Mon Jul 25 15:25:02 1994 Xref: netcom.com alt.pub.dragons-inn:7468 Path: netcom.com!netcomsv!decwrl!amd!amdahl!pacbell.com!sgiblab!spool.mu.edu!howland.reston.ans.net!newsserver.jvnc.net!netnews.upenn.edu!msuinfo!harbinger.cc.monash.edu.au!maths-g16-08.cc.monash.edu.au!sltur3 From: sltur3@MFS01.cc.monash.edu.au (Simon Turner) Newsgroups: alt.pub.dragons-inn Subject: [To kill a Dragon] Date: Fri, 22 Jul 1994 03:59:42 GMT Organization: Monash University Lines: 68 Message-ID: NNTP-Posting-Host: maths-g16-08.cc.monash.edu.au Miif'toran struggled as hard as he could, but the vines holding his arms seemed to be made of a material harder than his halberd's blade. He cursed a few times, but even the lashings of his tongue wouldn't loosen his tormenting green cuffs. Being what he considered to be a very well built, muscular, one eyed mercenary fighter, Miif considered vines to be rather below him. Unfortunately a magician in the party of cutpurses that had assailed him was in control of several apparently useful spells. He stood, tied to a tree, on the edge of a fairly large clearing. Forest was all around him and the sounds of the trees whispering in the night breeze was almost enough to put him to sleep. Walking along, halberd tapping the ground in company with his feet, Miif had been whistling on his merry way through the woods. As suddenly as lightning hits the ground, his halberd was lashed out of his hands by a whip and the world had gone black in a flash of red. Waking up to find all of his possessions gone, except for his pants and shirt, Miif was tied to a tree with some damned vines that seemed to hold him like iron cuffs. He never even saw his robbers, but there must have been a magician, how else could mere grass be holding him prisoner ? As the night grew darker, Miif knew that some of the denizens of the forest may have ideas for an evening stroll and a snack. Obviously the snack was meant to be him. Struggling wildly for a few moments did nothing more than further rub his aching wrists, so he stopped and thought for a while, pondering possible ways out of this unhappy situation. Look at the bright side, at the moment he was safe. A growl emanated from the other side of the clearing, and two iridescent eyes peered out from the undergrowth, at knee level. Miif groaned, the fortune teller at the last village that he had gone through had told him that his next journey would be a great success and that fortune would follow him. Another growl, and Miif saw his predator as a wolf emerged from the opposite side of the clearing, sniffing the air. Grey haired and lean, obviously ready for food, especially food as easy as Miif must be. There was a roar, echoing through the forest, and just as Miif wondered what it signified, rain started pattering down through the leaves of the tree above him. A flash of light illuminated the wolf, sniffing and turning straight at him now. Another echo of thunder boomed and rolled through the forest, and the rain started coming down heavier. It was completely black now, the swiftly moving storm blotting out all moonlight. Miif suddenly felt a wetness at his legs. Looking down, he could see nothing, then there was a burst of lighning, the crack of thunder very close on its tail. Miif saw in the light a snake, crawling over his feet and working up his leg. The wolf was now a few meters away, walking straight towards him. Some fortune teller. Suddenly there was a blinding flash of light, an explosion sounded and Miif felt himself flung into the air, only to crash, breathless seconds later. Groaning, he held his hands to his head. The rain crashed down around him. Suddenly he noticed that his hands were free. He was on the ground, lying in the mud. Standing up only caused him to fall back down again. What had happened ? He looked around, sitting on the ground. The tree that he had been tied to was now black and smoking, at its base was a wolf, with a snake around its throat. Somehow lightning had struck at the tree, Miif had been thrown clear, and the snake had attacked the wolf. Now Miif had never previously really believed in a God, but now he decided otherwise. After an hour of praying furiously, he moved under cover as the storm wet itself out, eventually falling asleep. In the morning he decided that he may as well continue on his way. His halberd had been enchanted a long time ago, and always managed to catch up with him eventually, so its loss would only be temporary.