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From: kallen@utkvx.utk.edu (King of Ytterbia)
Newsgroups: alt.pub.dragons-inn
Subject: Heart of Darkness
Date: 20 Apr 1995 14:56 EST
Organization: University of Tennessee
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Distribution: world
Message-ID: <20APR199514564271@utkvx.utk.edu>
NNTP-Posting-Host: utkvx1.utk.edu
Keywords: Hull and Marissa
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[Author's Note:  Hull is an average-looking man, with no dark cloak or robe or
anything.  Marissa is a woman's head with long blond hair and blue eyes.  The
merchant is a fat little pudgy man with a broken ankle.]
*********
Hull lead the horse until morning, with not conversation as they walked.  A
light rain started about dawn, and the drizzle awoke Marissa from the light
dozing she had been in.
"Ugh.  I hate the rain." She spit rain-soaked hair out of her mouth as they
went.  "Can you please help me here?"
Hull glanced up at the merchant, who was still asleep.  Mud had leaked into his
boots, and water was gradually running down his back from beneath his collar. 
He drew to a halt slowly, to avoid waking the merchant, and walked around to
where Marissa sat in her sling.
"What do you want me to do?"
She glared at him.  "Well, first you could pull some of this hair out of my
mouth."  He brushed it away.  "Then, you can get that oilskin out of the pack
and put it over me.  I don't want to get soaked."
Hull rummaged in the pack for a moment and brought out a brown sheet of cloth. 
"Okay, but I really don't think this will help much."
"Well, it doesn't matter what you think, now does it?  Are you the one who's
only a head?  I didn't think so.  Now just put it over me!"
Hull obediently tied it above her head, then looked into her eyes.  "Anything
else, dear?  Or can we go on?"
"Don't be such a jackass."
"Well, don't be so cranky."
Marissa stuck out her lower lip, pouting.  Hull shrugged, then began leading
the horse forward again.  They slogged through the murky ground as the rain
increased, steadily becoming a downpout.  The merchant awoke, then groaned as
the soreness in his ankle coursed through his body.
"Where are we going?"  His high-pitched, nasal voice made Hulls' skin crawl,
especially in the morning wetness and cold.
"Somewhere you'll be safe."
The merchant shivered, drawing his cloak around him.  "Is it warm and dry
there?"
Hull smiled.  "Well, sometimes it is and sometimes it isn't.  It's like
everywhere else, I guess."
"Thank you for saving me last night, mister...?"
"Hull."  Hull turned and extended a hand, which the man shook.  "It's really
nothing.  After what happened in the inn, it seemed like you could use 
some help, uh..."
"Gerard."  The man smiled and oily smile.  "Gerard Selviath, spice merchant and
trader in the northern lands.  Those men at the inn were unsatisfied customers. 
A violent lot, but it's not anything that I did; some people are just never
satisfied."  He fell silent for a moment, greatly relieving Hull, but started
right back up again.  "You know, I had the strangest dream last night.  I
dreamed that you were carrying a head, and it was yelling at me..."
"I was yelling at you, you arrogant toad!"  Marissa's voice made even Hull
jump, but it made Gerard yelp in fear and hop in the saddle.  "You weren't
dreaming at all."  Marissa laughted.
"Wha...What are you?"  Gerard tried to edge away from the voice.
"I'm Marissa, Hull's wife.  And as soon as we get another horse, I'm not going
to be near you anymore.  Believe me, this is no more pleseant for me than it is
for you."
"Hush, both of you!"  Hull's voice was urgent.  They were in a clearing, and at
the edge of the woods beyond was a smoldering fire with two lounging men.  The
rain had slackened to a drizzle, and the two were examining the contents of a
wooden crate. 
"Looks like bandits."
"What if they're loggers?"
"Shush!"  Hull pulled a bow off the horse and began to string it.  "I doubt a
pair of loggers would be this far from town, lounging about counting goods with
swords drawn nearby."
"Finders keepers, right Hull?"  Marissa's voice was evil.
"No, Marissa, not right now.  We've got more important things to do."  He
finishde stringing the bow and shouldered a quiver of arrows.  "We'll just
chase them off and keep going."
Hull drew back an arrow, then walked into the clearing.  "Good morning,
friends.  What are you doing so far into the woods on this wet drizzly
morning?"
The men looked at him suspiciously.  "I don't think that's any of your
business, stranger."
Hull smiled.  "I think it is my business.  You two look a little rough for my
tastes.  How do I know I'll get safe passage?"
The men laughed.  "You won't be dead by sunset."
Hull held up the bow, pointing it at the larger of the two men.  "I don't like
your attitude, sir.  Why don't we settle this like civilized persons?"  The 
larger man raised his sword, then took a step forward.  "Or, maybe not."  Hull
fired the arrow, which landed in his shoulder.  He howled in pain as the other
man streaked forward.  Hull fired another shot, this time landing in the mans'
leg. He fell to the ground screaming.  Hull whistled and his horse cam
cantering forward carrying Gerard and Marissa.  "I think I'll be on my way now,
friends."  As he led the horse past, he tossed some rags onto the ground near
the larger man.  "Bind your wounds with these."
"And don't harass any more travellers!"  Marissa's voice was full of malicious
glee.  "Go get a trade, buffoons!"
Gerard sat atop the horse, wondering what he had gotten himself into.

[Y'all come back now, you hear?]
Kurt