From: rigler@galileo.ifa.hawaii.edu (Aaron Evans) Date: Wed, 16 Sep 1992 22:35:29 GMT Newsgroups: alt.pub.dragons-inn Subject: [KQ] Thk [Gaps] Down in the sewers (Part III) DOWN IN THE SEWERS: ------------------ > "SSSssssss" > > Elstrek whispers "Sshh! There it is again!" > > Arvor cries "Something else is down here! Let me up come up there with > you!" > > The waters behind Arvor begin to stir... ...causing the nape hairs on his neck to raise. Heavily supercharged and rippling with the magical enhancement of the potion of "superheroism," the skull-faced warrior leaps and spins away with a lightning-quick slash of his Zweihander. The heavy blade whistles and cleaves down into the water with a loud slap, but Arvor is not sure whether he connected with anything. He backs away towards the stairs, peering into the glowing depths, with sword raised in a reverse grip for stabbing downwards. A dark shape moves, momentarily blotting out the submerged glow of the Elvish blades lying on the bottom. "Behind you Arvor!" Elstrek yells. Arvor whirls and stabs downwards, but there is nothing behind him. Suddenly, he feels his ankle yanked out from under him and he sinks under the water. A frenzied thrashing ensues as the hypercharged but heavily armored human tries to regain his feet on the slippery stonework. Elstrek and Thk watch with horror and interest as a dark reptilian shape rears up out of the water near him and raises a nasty looking long sword for a stabbing blow. "Ssssssssss..." Elstrek struggles in Thk's grip. "Look, there's your lizard friend! Now I've answered your questions, so let me go!" "Very well." Thk sets the crimelord down on the stairs. "Have a nice day." At that point, Arvor finally heaves his torso and sword above the surface and gasps for air. Behind him, the lizardman hisses and thrusts with its long sword. * SKREEEAK! * The enchanted black blade passes through the human's armor as easily as if it were butter, making a hideous noise and spraying red sparks. Arvor pauses in his intake of breath to look down in surprise at two feet of jet-black steel protruding from his chest. For a brief moment, he is entranced at the sight of red glowing rivulets of his blood racing around on the surface of the strange blade before boiling away, but then the pain begins.... "YaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!" The pain is unbelievable, seeming to ascend through octave after octave like an endless piano, swiftly taking him past realms of suffering beyond his imag- ining, and then beyond those still, on to impossible high levels of pain which mock all previous experience. Arvor has seen enough battle wounds to know that his wound is mortal, and some detached part of his mind keeps expecting the pain to cease. But he doesn't lose consciousness. His mind remains crystal clear, and the pain just keeps getting worse and worse, until he can no longer scream. He hangs on the lizardman's sword point, writhing and clawing the air, his face contorted in a silent plea for mercy. Surely these are the very fires of Gehenna! His wild eyes meet those of Elstrek and Thk on the stairs. "H-h-elp m-e...." he gasps pitiously. "SSSsss...interessting." remarks Thk. Elstrek, however, has had enough. As he flees up the stairs, he calls out over his shoulder, "See ya! Wouldn't wanna be ya!" Through the haze of pain, Arvor's eyes cloud at this ultimate betrayal. Then the lizardman behind him yanks the sword free with a grating sound. Strangely, there is little blood, the lung wound being crudely cauterized by the foul sorcery of the blade upon its exit. Nor does the wounded man pitch forward in death. Rather, he hangs there, swaying, as the pain reduces in volume to a barely tolerable stinging centered on the wound. His mind floods with relief, but also with a dawning despair, for he realizes that he is now slave to the blade and its master. From now until the end of his days, he will serve in abject terror of the unique brand of pain it delivers. For the first time in years, the skull-faced warrior breaks down and weeps. The demonic black blade was specifically crafted for this evil purpose. Aeons ago, the Winged Riders of Klegg used this very blade and its brothers to raise great armies, which they drove before them through the realms of the Nexus in a swath of destruction. Eventually, the armies were defeated, and the Riders cast back into the Pits which spawned them. All of the blades were found and destroyed, save this one. Named "Despoiler" in the tongues of the ancient races, it has languished in the possession of a series of unworthy warriors, turning their hearts to black before destroying them, until finally coming to rest beneath the Shunned Center of Generica. Here it has lain sheathed and dormant for centuries, its awesome potential unrealized, until finally allowing itself to be "found" by the mindless clone of the lizardman Thk. The semi-sentient blade was attracted to the void of the beast's mind, with it's undertones of command, and is even now seeking to fill that void with an evil purpose of dominion, forming an unholy symbiosis. But the ancient blade is patient. This empty reptilian vessel is raw stuff indeed. Any ascent to those former heights of glory must necessarily origin- ate with humble beginnings down here in the sewers of Generica. Despoiler's master has just obtained his first real convert: Arvor slouches whimpering and cringing at the side of the chamber, a crushed shell of his former self. Thk Prime turns to face the lizardman on the stairs, and gets his first good look at Thk. Thk has taken the opportunity to recover his blades, and their blue glow lights up the chamber. The two identical twins eye each other in confusion. They aren't exactly identical. Thk wears armor and is heavily tatooed with the symbols of royalty, while Thk Prime is naked and untatooed, but it is obvious to Thk that this giant is definitely of his own tribe, if not his direct kin. But if so, where are the tatoos of station? Without these tatoos, Thk is conditioned to look at the other lizardman as a "peon" who should be automatically kneeling and kow-towing in his presence. Instead he finds it baring its teeth and menacing with its weapon! Inexcusable!!! "Sch'CHAH!" Thk commands imperiously, assuming a dominant posture. Only complete abject submission can save this peon now. Thk Prime only cocks his head in confusion. "SSSsssss..." "K'thath kull! Sch'CHAH! Sch'CHAH!" Thk demands, swiftly losing what is left of his temper. Thk Prime responds to the hostile tone by gnashing his teeth and taking a challenging step forwards. Thk is beside himself with rage! "THEN I CASTE YOU FROM THE TEN TRIBES AND SENTENCE YOU TO DEATH!!!" Raising both blades, he descends the stairs into the water to execute his twin... \========C\ Rigler... \ <===========C ]==|[///////////////////]|==========|[////////////]D> // /========C/ ...Thk -- A hunger for life that can no longer be denied.