From alt.pub.dragons-inn Thu Dec 8 14:42:23 1994 Xref: netcom.com alt.pub.dragons-inn:7946 Path: netcom.com!ix.netcom.com!howland.reston.ans.net!gatech!usenet.ufl.edu!cybernet.cse.fau.edu!motherc From: motherc@cse.fau.edu (Christopher Motherway) Newsgroups: alt.pub.dragons-inn Subject: [DreamQuest] Battling the Beast Date: 8 Dec 1994 17:07:20 GMT Organization: Cybernet BBS, Boca Raton, Florida. Lines: 259 Message-ID: <3c7eg8$h3v@cybernet.cse.fau.edu> NNTP-Posting-Host: zeus.cse.fau.edu X-Newsreader: TIN [version 1.2 PL0] THE STORY SO FAR: Lance's soul travels with his father's in a strange limbo. They cross the mountains to a coastline which they would cross to get to their respective destinations: Lance back to his body, and his father, Corwin, to a higher realm. = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Blaze had asked for her meals to be brought up to her room. It has been several days since she had lost Lance's soul. She dared not move from his side. Littlefair and Serene had found out about this incident and promised that she would not be disturbed. All she could think about was her beloved, lying still on his bed. She could feel the safegaurds Miro and 'Raf had placed on him, but wondered how long they would last. She kept thinking about that place she saw Lance in just before she returned to her own body... *"'Raelf calls it 'Limboland' for no good reason. It's where souls of the departed go when the powers they choose as their judges can't decide whether to take the spirit up to heaven or down to hell. That dark sea was the abyss down to the netherworld."* Why was Lance there? And that man he was with? Had that man called Lance to him? She then glared at the writing hovering just above her... *"What I'll be doin' then, is writin' a spell of callin' that only he can answer tae. If he gets himsel' kill't or turned intae somethin' that cannae be brought tae life agin, then the spell will nae bring him, and it'll fall tae pieces o' its own weight."* The writing was from an ancient magical language. But Blaze was familiar with many types of magic scripture. Essentially, the spell would call upon the soul of the person mentioned in it (Miro was kind enough to include Lance's name in his writing) and bring him closer to this plane of exsistance. Once he is within reach, she would go out and try, once more, to bring the soul back to the Dragon's Inn and rejoin it with the body. Blaze felt his soul so close now. If his destination was the shore against the abyss, he must have been very near the shore, but not enough to chance the spell quite yet. Lance's breathing was getting fainter. His heartbeat was fading. Blaze prayed that Lance's spirit would make it to the shore soon... = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = *<> <>* "There it is, my son! Our destination!" In all his years, Lance has never seen such a beautiful body of water. Even the Deep Blue could not compare to this. Yet he knew a greater beauty awaited his on the other side of the sea/abyss. Looking up and down the coast, Lance could find no signs of life. He asked Corwin, "So where is this beast you have talked about?" Corwin had a perplexed look on his faced as he thought of an answer to the question. "Perhaps sleeping," was all he could come up with. Lance then said, "Well, sleeping or not, he must be stopped so that we can get to that coastline." The two men started decending the hills they were on. They kept their senses awake, not knowing when or from where the beast might attack. Lance kept a tight grip on his dagger. It was not his most trusted sword, but any blade can be potent when used by the right person. He looked over to his father, who was likewise grasping a dagger. Corwin had taught Lance everything there was to know about the arts of the blade, so both kept their grasps tight, ready to lunge it into anything that would come into their vicinity. "Look down there," said Corwin, pointing towards the start of the beach. When Lance looked in that direction, he saw a number of swords, shields and armors. "The beast doesn't like the metal. That was where I was able to grab these daggers before he started after me last time." "Perhaps," said Lance, "I should get a sword from that pile. We should both have swords for longer reach against the creature." "Very well. But be cautious. I'll cover you and you can get the swords." The two men continued down. When they got to the metallic pile, Lance search through it, pushing things out of the way with his dagger, until he found a pair of broadswords. He handed one to Corwin and swung the other one around to get the feel of it. "I recognize these weapons," said Corwin. "The last person I saw before leaving was a barbarian of sorts who weilded twin broadswords. Poor fellow didn't last long, although he was able to hurt the beast." Lance replied, "Well, these shall prove better for us than for him. We shall not share his fate!" Just then, from behind him, Lance heard a low but loud growl. His father looked up and, with glaring eyes, said, "By the Gods!!" Lance turned to face the creature with his sword at the ready. It was just as Corwin had mentioned; a full three feet higher at the shoulder, as big around as several trees, the legs and claws of a manticore, the head of a wolf, the horns of a steer, a scaly body and tail, and eyes more red than all the blood Lance has seen in his lifetime. The creature locked eyes with Lance. The young knight had never faced any creature quite this big. It looked like the kind of monstrousity that would haunt Raoh's nightmares. The beast made the first move when he swung at Lance with his massive paw. Lance jumped out of the way of the swipe and countered with his own. But the beast likewise dodged the swing. Another swipe attempt missed Lance and Corwin, who had stepped up with his sword to assist. All Lance and Corwin could do was keep their gaurds up and back up in hopes of finding a less open stretch of land to fight in. The beast kept swinging his claws at them, as if amused by their antics. Corwin then said, "He appears to me more interested in me. After all, I appear to be the first in a long time to see him and live to tell the tale. I'll keep him busy. You go around behind him and try to hurt him somehow." Lance knew there was little time to argue battle plans. He simply nodded and, slowly, increased the distance between him and Corwin as he started to go around the beast. Corwin's eyes met with the beast and he yelled, "I may have been forced upon this land due to my actions, but I will not allow you to keep me from joining my lifemate!" With that, he charged the beast. With one mighty swipe, Corwin was knocked to the ground. He was not hurt badly, but he was right underneath the beast's head. The creature lifted its paw to stomp on him. The paw dropped...and the beast started howling in pain! Corwin had uprighted his sword into the paw. Unfortunately, the sword was now stuck in the pad and Corwin was left unarmed. The beast placed its paw down and removed the sword with the other. When it looked up, it saw Corwin running back to the hills. No, it thought, this prey would not get away from him again. Even with a bloody foot, it started running after him. Corwin saw the beast chasing him. He knew just how fast it was and that it would be upon him in no time. He started up the rocky hills that made up the foothills of the mountain range. But no sooner was he starting to climb when the creature was right beside him. It turned hard and slammed its tail right into Corwin. He was thrown a good thrity feet before landing back on the hill. He had taken worse hits in life, but Corwin was now all but spent. Souls do not tire, but they do weaken when physically beaten. He opened his eyes and looked up at the face of the beast, whcih was licking its wolf-like teeth in preparation for a long-awaited feast. It never got the chance. All of a sudden, a sharp pain hit its tail, and it howled in agony again. Looking back, it saw Lance, broadsword in hand, another sword in a sheath around his waist, and a shield in his other hand. Its tail was almost severed of about four feet of it. Lance had made a quick run to the weapons pile to grab a shield. He had spotted Corwin losing his sword and grabbed the closest one he could before starting to run towards the creature, staying behind its line of sight. Lance unbuckled the sheathed sword and screamed, "FATHER, CATCH!" before tossing him the sword. Corwin had enough presence of mind to catch it. Now that the creature was concentrating on Lance, he could rest and figure out some way to stop it. The beast and the knight battled on the hillside. Lance blocked all swipes from its tail, head or feet with his shield and slashed back at it as hard as he could. Once or twice, he hit one of its feet, bloodying it but not stopping it. Several times, he took a swing at its head. But the skin around the neck must have been as thick as a ogre's hide; he could not penetrate the skin. Corwin got up on his feet, bruised but still conscious. He examined the sword briefly. Then a smile appeared on his face. This particular sword could prove most effective. CLANG! Lance's shield was knocked right out of his hand, breaching the gap between him and the beast. It went for a another swing to knock him down for good. Corwin took the sword, took a tight grip with both hands and gave it a mighty swing, stopping abruptly when its tip pointed at the creature. A stream of blue fire shot out of the weapon, and struck the beast's back. The monster yelled even louder as it felt the pain in its back. It turned around again to face Corwin, anger in its crimson eyes. "Father," screamed Lance, "the blast did not injure him; his back is merely burnt! I do not believe it can be destroyed!" Corwin replied, "Then the best that I can do is knock it out for a while!" He swung the sword again, this time pointing to the rockface just above the beast. The flame hit the hillside hard, causing a massive hunk of it to start falling down towards the creature. It tried to get out of the rockslide's way, but the first of the heavy boulders struck it in the head, staggering it. A few more hit it before it finally tumbled down the hill and landed on the beach. The rocks followed it and, after a while, had buried the beast! Lance had gotten out of the way of the blast and the rockslide and waited for the dust to settle. He then saw his father, sword still in hand, looking down at the rubble down below. The knight walked over to Corwin. Corwin looked up into his son's eyes. The two men then embraced. Their trial has ended! Without much hesitation, Lance and Corwin ran to the abyss/sea and stood at the very edge. "Is it safe to drink?", questioned Lance. Corwin replied, "It should be. I saw one or two actually go into it up to their knees and wash the blood of their comrades of their bodies. Only if you go too far in will the abyss swallow you up." Lance knelt down and was about to take a drink when he asked, "Did that sword belong to one of those men? Is that how you knew of its powers?" "No. An old friend of mine back in Wolverton showed me such a sword at told me of its powers. I recognized it when I unsheathed it. It shined in a brilliance of blue in the light." Lance smiled at Corwin. Just like a knight, he said to himself. Always thinking, even when hurt. Lance then cupped his hands, gathered water in them and sipped its coolness. = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Blaze's eyes lit up. "It is time." TO BE CONCLUDED... = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Chris Wolvie motherc@sunrise.cse.fau.edu Disclaimer: If you plan to flame, please let me know. ============================================================================== Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton (The Rat's Mouth), Florida ============================================================================== "But we decide which is right...and which is an illusion!" -last words of "Nights in White Satin" by the Moody Blues