From alt.pub.dragons-inn Tue May 16 08:40:08 1995 Xref: netcom.com alt.pub.dragons-inn:8441 Path: netcom.com!csus.edu!csulb.edu!info.ucla.edu!unixg.ubc.ca!vanbc.wimsey.com!scipio.cyberstore.ca!math.ohio-state.edu!uwm.edu!caen!reeve.research.aa.wl.com!WS008013F18C2D!simonj From: simonj@rh.wl.com (Jeff Simon) Newsgroups: alt.pub.dragons-inn Subject: [Jake Shade] Interlude-The Party Date: Tue, 16 May 1995 00:56:45 EDT Organization: Parke-Davis Rochester Lines: 246 Message-ID: NNTP-Posting-Host: 198.205.215.16 Summary: Shade gets invited to a party . . . . X-Newsreader: Trumpet for Windows [Version 1.0 Rev B final beta #4] Sorry about that last one guys. Interlude: Shopping for trouble . . . or The Threadpenney Barons catch the wrong fish. Sitting on the low wall of a public fountain, the man with thousand-year old eyes watched the auburn haired woman as she walked through the fish market. The loves in his life had been few and far between, and all but one ending in tragedy. Still, the fact that he had recently given up on love didn't mean he didn't appreciate a good-looking woman when he saw one. Apparently he wasn't the only one who appreciated her charms; she was carrying a small girl in her arms. Jake Shade remembered his own son and wondered how the was doing. The powerfully built man sagged under an unseen weight, his green eyes suddenly cloudy. Shade would never see his son again. The boy was back in Aurauna and there was no way for Shade to return there now. It was ironic. He was stranded far from home, with no way to get back. The only person he could blame was himself. Shade was not a man who appreciated irony. At least not when it applied to his own circumstances. Suddenly, his eye was caught by a flash of green fire. Startled, he looked down at the ring on his left hand. The somehow sinister looking ring had what looked to be a four or five carat emerald for a center stone. The gem pulsed with a light that the superstitious might have called the gleam of a demon's eye. "I was wondering if you still functioned in Generica." he muttered to the ring in a voice tinged with relief. He scanned the marketplace with increased vigilance. Nothing . . . wait. Over there. Following the auburn haired woman in the gray tunic like a pack of starved wolves. Three - no, four - young toughs, obviously intent on mischief. They were lean and dirty and radiated a hunger for violence that Shade would have seen in the dark. Shade stood up and unobtrusively checked his gear. Although he did not touch the greatsword across his back; it stirred, always hungry for blood. "We're not after big game tonight." he told the sword quietly. A low pitched moan came from the blade, causing several people nearby to shy away from him in fear. He ignored them, and the blade subsided. Shade slipped into a casual gait that kept him within eyeshot of the predators and their quarry. The woman moved quickly up the street, not hurrying, but making good timing considering she had a toddler on one arm and a basket of groceries on the other. She stayed on well-traveled streets, and Shade relaxed. The toughs would not make a move in public. Then the woman turned down an alley. Shade cursed and broke into a run. When he arrived seconds later, the woman was surrounded. Two of the young men kept her from advancing through the hazy alley, two blocked her way back to the street. One of them giggled, high on wolf-pack courage. He drew a wicked looking knife and moved towards the woman. Shade noticed that the child was gone. He wondered if the woman had time to hide her in the alley before her pursuers had arrived. He also had to admire the woman's poise, she held her ground despite being trapped and outnumbered. Her eyes flashed with defiant fire as she looked at the men. She shifted the weight of the groceries in one arm and locked gazes with their leader. "Do you really need to do this young man?" she asked in a firm but gentle voice. "Terrorizing women and children is hardly the way to build a reputation as a group of fearless warriors." Shade was amazed that the woman could remain so calm. The leader paused in his advance, his eyes suddenly darting and unsure. The other three muttered impatiently, and moved nearer the woman. Once again the leader brandished his knife, embarrassed at looking hesitant in front of the others. The circle tightened around her. Although the woman seemed to be intent on talking her way out of the situation, Shade noticed that she was subtly sliding into an unarmed combat stance. If she thought she was going to take out these four by herself, she was either badly deluded or had a hell of an ace card up her sleeve. "You're on the turf of the Threadpenney Barons, baby." the lead tough said in a rough voice, "You gotta pay the toll if you wanna shop in our territory." Although Shade was more than a little curious to see how this strong-willed woman would handle herself, there was the safety of the child to consider. He stepped forward out of the shadows, scarred hands twitching slightly in anticipation. "I've heard that the Threadpenney Barons are a bunch of sheep-buggerers who are getting too big for their britches." Shade said dead-pan. In actuality, the outlander had never heard of the gang. Then again, he had only been in Generica for a little over a day. The four men whirled at the unexpected appearance of another player in their little drama. Their eyes widened at the sight of his strange armor and the edged weapons which hung in great numbers from his belt-gear. He did not look like the easy sort of prey they had been hunting. The men looked at each other uneasily. "Shit, man. There's four of us," one of the youths said, drawing his own knife. His companions followed suit, producing weapons and moving towards the new arrival. It was obvious they intended to overwhelm and cut down the outlander, then take the woman at their leisure. Shade looked past them at the auburn-haired woman. "Run." he told her in an urgent voice. Then the gang members were upon him en masse, and he had no time for conversation. A cyclone of violent activity exploded around the outland warrior. Shade did not bother to draw the shortswords riding on either hip. The footpads had nothing more than daggers. He threaded his way out of the path of one violent attack after another, lashing out with a foot here, a stone-knuckled hand there. He kept moving within the confines of the alley, never allowing the cutthroats to overwhelm him, always keeping them in each other's way. The woman winced as the sounds of breaking bones and popping cartilage filled the alley. Then it was over. Shade stood, swaying gently, amongst the mangled bodies of the four street toughs. Whether they were unconscious or dead, the woman could not tell. She stepped forward to look her protector in the eye. "That was hardly necessary, warrior," she said, critiquing his performance. "I had the situation completely under control. And I think you hurt those men more than necessary. You could have just rendered them unconscious until the guards arrived." Shade was completely taken aback. He hadn't exactly expected the woman to swoon into his arms with delirious gratitude. Then again, he had expected at least a kind word of appreciation, perhaps even a smile. "Forgive me for intruding where I was so obviously unwanted," he said, sketching an elaborate bow. "I thought only of my lady's safety and that of her child." With that, he straightened stiffly, and stepped back. The woman's eyes softened and she moved closer to the outlander, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Wait." "Listen, I'm sorry for sounding ungrateful" She sketched a curtsey that was at least as elaborate as his bow had been. "I was always trained to use as little force as necessary. My name is Serene. My daughter is Mista." She called out to the empty air, "Mista sweetie, it's okay now, you can come back." The haze of the alley collected directly over Shade's head and condensed into the form of a two-year-old girl sitting on his shoulders and giggling. "Hi mummy!" The girl waved. Serene put her hands on her hips. "Mista, you get down from there. It isn't polite to climb all over people." Mista looked at her mother and pouted. She flipped backward off Shade's shoulders, turning into a small puff of grey fog on the way down. The puff drifted to her mother's side and changed back. "Sorry mummy." Shade fought an impulse to rub his eyes. "And I thought things were weird in Lyones." he said to no one in particular. Serene picked her daughter up. "That's okay dear." She noticed a dark splash of red on Mista's otherwise tan jumper. She touched the spot and found it sticky and wet. She frantically began looking for a wound. "Mista, are you hurt?" "No, it's not her. The blood is mine." Shade smiled. He did his best to conceal the hurt done to him, blinking against the spots dotting his vision. "A scratch is all, Lady. I should expect worse for showing off that way." "Nonsense." the concern in Serene's eyes was evident. "Tell me where your friends live. I'll walk you there and we'll have it looked at." A veil fell over Shade's eyes, and he drifted away from the woman. "That won't be necessary, Lady. I heal very quickly." The man's stubbornness momentarily annoyed Serene. Then she figured it out. You're new in town." she said slowly. "You don't know anybody in Generica yet, do you?" The outlander made no reply. Serene stood still for a moment, considering. Then, with an inward shrug, she decided. "My housemate and I are throwing a party tonight. A lot of our friends will be there. I would like it if my newest friend would come too." Shade stood still, silent as he thought it over. Serene lost her patience and stepped forward boldly, linking her arm through the outlander's. Shade took the basket of groceries from her and transferred it to his other arm, hiding a wince as he did so. "Where's this party at, anyway?" Shade asked as the two of them walked back out to the main street. "It's at a place called ShadeHaven." Serene said merrily. Shade laughed long and hard. "How appropriate." he said. ***************************************************** Jake Shade, the world of Aurauna and the city of Lyones are all copyrights of Jeff A. Simon. All rights reserved. The use of this or any Jake Shade story for profit is strictly prohibited without the express permission of the author. Serene and Mista appear courtesy of The Dreamer (copyright 1995). ***************************************************** -- The opinions expressed in this message are mine alone. This message does not necessarily reflect the positions or opinions of my company or organization.