From: hutch@ibeam.intel.com (Steve Hutchison)
Date: Thu, 10 Dec 1992 22:57:37 GMT
Newsgroups: alt.pub.dragons-inn
Subject: [KQ] Shun: Talkin' ta Drew


+    And then they had reached the Edge, and crossed back into the Buff,
+where Jacinthe was waiting with her sons, another woman, and a little
+girl, Low City by the looks of her... and some other runners were there
+as well, most notably that deadbeat Zlee... but they all cheered, and
+Drew was never one to turn down the adoration of a crowd...
+
+    And then a portal opened up, and a bunch of other people came
+through it, all looking pretty bad, but mostly intact.
+
+    Drew picked out a blond man in the bunch who actually looked
+somewhat like himself, as well as looking to be the leader.  Grinning,
+he looked into the man's eyes.
+
+"Well, now that the festives 'ave been concluded, you wanna pip to me
+about just what the shaft went on here today...?"
+
+    So saying, Drew waited for an answer...

'Raelf looked around behind himself - no, the kid was talking to HIM.
He scrounged around for the closest language match.

"Uh, sorry, droog, not sure I cop that jarg.  Which `what the shaft' you
wanna wot o'?"  He grinned back, and his eyes flickered through the
spectrum - Hmmmmmm.  These kids are human, but highly adapted, very strong
spirit, must have been on the edge of the Great Mother's ceaseless nagging
for many generations.

Drew cocked his head.  "You wanna tell me why you lot was followin' Robes
inta the Press?  And where the bog IS the Press?"

"Right.  I'd say just about now that the Press is about to wake up again.
She's just stunned.  Can't tell you all of it, makes no sense, but the
leftovers from one of the old gods used to be in that temple, and it had
ol' Terry Kron's little sister.  He had to kill her to keep it from eatin'
her soul, and he's kinda bummed right now, so go easy on the man.  Rest of
us went along as backup.  We best get our sorry hinders outa here and we
best do it fast before the fit hits the Shan."

Drew turned to his fellow ShunRunners and barked some quick orders.

Meanwhile 'Raelf went back to where Azzar was slowly coming out of her trance.
He spoke gently, in 'kani, trusting her to hear the meaning instead of the
shape of the words.

<<Milady, remember, you're a free spirit, forced indignity doesn't have
  to touch you.  It wasn't you who was doing those things.>>

He reached inside his poncho, and gestured to Captain.  He pulled out an
orc-dog puppy and handed it to the startled sailor.

"This dog dude was waiting for you, back at the edge of the Buffer.
I picked him up before I met up with us at Sanctuary.  Y'all left him
behind at the Wasters' place, when Robes started puttin the kibosh on
your hero selfs.  Poor pupchik nearly et by a T-croc."

Azzar began to recognize the puppy.  It licked her face adoringly.

"Here, you need this more than me right now."  'Raelf pulled his poncho off
over his head and gave it to the tattooed lady.

An ominous rumble arose from the temple as bits of ceiling fell in.