From: albert@chain.ssctr.bcm.tmc.edu (Rick Jones)
Date: 26 Sep 1992 22:10:25 GMT
Newsgroups: alt.pub.dragons-inn
Subject: [KQ] Wasters [Wasted Lady] Countdown


	"I hate this boat.  It stinks," whined Bogo. 
	Scorpion considered killing the irritating halfing for the fifth
time that day.  "Look, shorty, I hate it too, but if you complain once
more, I'm going to personally find Genevieve and let her play with you for
a week.
	"Don't call me that," answered the 6' halfling.  
	"Huh huh.  Shorty," teased Thrugg.  
	Bogo's form swelled up another foot.  "Don't call me that."
	"That's enough!" barked Scorpion.  "Both of you, chill." Bogo
shrunk down to his natural size of 3 feet tall, then bounced back up to 6.
He sat down quickly.
	"Oooh," he shook his head.  "I gotta talk with Seer.  Sizing's
getting funky."
	A slender man materialized in the middle of the cabin, with an
attractive elven female wrapped around him.  "Hi guys, what's up?"
she asked.
	"Seer's got some sort of trap for you-know-who, Rook, and he
doesn't want us around for it for reasons only know to his Screwyness."
Scorpion knew better than to mention Kron with Thrugg around.  It had
something to do with Thrugg's brother, but he wasn't sure what.  "Blink,
you told Nolrimm?" Blink nodded.  "Then why isn't he here?" Blink made a
flapping gesture.  "Wanted to fly here himself?" Blink nodded.  "Okay,
then. Head back to HQ, Seer has a job for you." Blink leaned over and
kissed Rook on the cheek. 
	"Bye, cutie," she murmured.   Blink grinned and vanished.  "Anyone for
a game of cards?"  Rook pulled a deck from her belt pouch.  
	Scorpion snickered.  "Right.  I remember the last time.  Three royal
flushes and then four aces."
	"You shuffed," she reminded him.  
	"Doesn't matter with you, now does it?"  She grinned and started
dealing out a solitaire hand on a bunk.  
	A thud echoed from above them, and then a load curse.  
	"Nolrimm's here," announced Rook.
	"Thank you for that keen observation," replied Bogo.
	The door swung open.  "Gods, what a day.  Sun's going down," a
disembodied voice said.  A moment later, a burly man with huge wings
growing out of his back shimmered into view.  He put the ring he had just
removed in his pocket, perched on a stool, and tried his best to keep his
huge wings out of the way.  He looked around, uncomfortable in the
enclosed space.
	Scorpion said in measured tones, "I bet it's pretty, Thrugg."
	"Oooh, pretty.  I go," Thrugg announced.  He lumbered out.
	There was a brief pause, and everyone looked at each other. 
	Scorpion broke the silence.  "Okay, we all know he's getting
dumber, and stronger.  Who else is having problems?  Bogo, you first."
	Bogo stood up, and looked around.  "Umm, I'm getting dizzy while
sizing, and I'm having problems when I shift.  You saw it jsut now, boss."
	Rook looked up from her game.  "My field's getting bigger, and the
random effects are more pronounced.  I was at a bar, and these two
courtiers were flipping a coin for some reason.  100 Heads.  I didn't cause
it.  Blink's popping around sometimes without willing it.  He says
sometimes he really has to concentrate on _not_ teleporting."
	Nolrimm spoke up, "I'm ... changing.  I'm losing weight from
somewhere, but you can't see where it's coming from.  I'm about two thirds
of what I used to weight.  And... I'm growing feathers." He fiddled with
an arrow from his quiver.  "And, I'm hungry for strange shit, man. 
Flying's an ace, but this is too weird.  I want to go back to what I was."
	Scorpion stood up and started pacing.  "And nobody's seen Slythe
for weeks.  Look, Seer promised us powers, and he delivered all right. 
Him and that kooky witch Genevieve.  But this is getting too strange.  I
think all that magic's messed with his head."  He drew himself us
straight.  "Look, we were hot shit in the Lizard Wars.  And we did okay
mercwork before Seer showed up.  I say we deliver an ultimatum.  He fixes
us, even if it meens we lose the stuff, or we walk.  Agreed."
	Everyone looked at each other for a few moments.  "Agreed?!?"
asked Scorpion, in his best drill seargent voice. 
	"Yeah" "Okay" "Whatev-"

	BAMF 

	TICK 

	Blink appeared in the middle of the room.  On fire.  He collapsed
to the deck.	
	"Shit!"  Before anyone else had a chance to react, Scorpion quickly
grabbed a blanket and smothered the flames.  "Bogo, check him out."   
	
	TICK

	The halfling kneeled over the unconscious teleporter, and looked
him over with a practiced eye.  "He needs a healer, bad."  Blink
shuddered, and his eyes opened.  He started gesticulating wildly.
	"Dammit, slow down.  Rook, what's he saying?"
	
	TICK

	"It's hard to tell," she grabbed his arms, causing him to hiss
with pain.  "STOP IT.  What happened?"
	Blink started ghesturing again, mentally cursing the lizard man
who cut his throat.
	"Seer?!? ... did ... it.  Trap.  Insane."
	"Dammit, he _has_ gone whacko," cursed Scorpion.
	
	TICK

	"Wait, there's something else," added Rook.   "Boat tra-. Oh shit,
boss, the boat is -"


	_B_O_O_M_!_

[ADMIN: Not to worry, the Wasters are super-villains.  You didn't see the
bodies.  Ergo...]
-- 
Rick Jones				Systems Support Center
albert@bcm.tmc.edu			Baylor College of Medicine
Voice: 713-798-7352			standard disclaimers apply
"No matter how hard you try, you can't bend a cracker." - Linus VanPelt