Moonrise, part II
The Never Ending Quest - Episode 10433
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Astra of Aquilaria watched with trepidation as the moon rose, bright and
full, illuminating the clearing where they camped. As if on cue, a knot
developed in her stomach, doubling her over as she broke into a cold
sweat. Panting as she righted herself, she looked down at her arms, and
prayed that the hair that seemed to be sprouting on them already was just
a trick of the light... Three days earlier, another scene was playing itself out in the Northern Waste... The chestnut brown fur of Lady Andrea Croix's wolfish mien remained proof against the wintery cold as she bounded from rock to rock, claws screeching against the stone faintly. Reaching the top of a fairly tall ruined structure, she crouched there, her nose twitching as she sniffed the air, taking in the scent of the presence she had smelled in the ruins. It smelled like a man, but it was not Jarlath. Nonetheless, she thought to herself, it was food, hot, tasty flesh. She howled into the chill air. The hunt was on. Jarlath heard the young noblewoman's howl echoing through the ruined city. It was just as he had remembered. It wouldn't be long before he would have to be the good marrionette and perform the next action in this little passionate play... Andrea knew that she was about to corner her prey as she came towards the end of the broken stone corridor. There in the shadows before her the pitiful thing would be, and she would feast. Then, something unexpected happened. The wall at the end of the corridor seemed to shift. As her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she realized the reason. The wall wasn't moving, but something nearly as big as it was. It was a man, but not easy prey like she had assumed. He was around ten feet tall, clad in byzantine rags, and bearing fists like mattocks. She heard a rumble come from the man, and only barely recognized it as speech. "Damn vermin keep getting in...well, a meal's a meal..." With that, the mountain of a man began to stride towards her, and she ran... Jarlath heard the scrabbling of claws on stone and the thunderous footfalls which signaled pursuit, and ducked behind the rock, just as he knew he had to. He saw the giant close on Andrea, and he saw its fist come down, stunning her. Just as her unconscious form was reverting to human, he made his move. Jarlath always felt vaguely violated when the magick had its way, but he knew it was neccesary, as it was unleashed explosively from his scarred frame. The giant howled in pain, and ran off in the opposite direction, and Jarlath collapsed in pain as the Art claimed yet another part of his essence... Andrea awoke to see Jarlath bent over her. She was lying upon a bed of furs, a blanket covering her. She was normal again, she noticed. Normal and whole. "You were out for three days, skinchanger," the mad mage said, fetching her clothing which he had apparently repaired deftly. "What...what happened?" "You met one of the two inhabitants of the ruins, the last of the tribes of the Anakim and the Rephaim, respectively. It is there tireless game of cat and mouse which is the final legacy of a centuries old war, and if we're to make it through the ruins, we'll have to deal with them. I can't afford another pulse like the one I used to save you, though, for that cost me much..." Meanwhile, back South... Astra began to panic as another cramp seized her. Then, unexpectedly, she began to violently cough. As she coughed, a thick, creeping mist spilled from her mouth, dissipating on the ground. She breathed deeply, and slowly, miraculously, started to feel much better. The curse was broken. It was then that she realized that Simon had been by her side during her suffering, and had draped a shawl over her shoulders. "Ye've beat it, child, and 'tis a good thing, too, for tomorrow, we enter the territory of the Court of Fools." None of them caught the subtle shifting in the distant forest, as the relatively newly born Ghille Dhu sent by Queen Mab skulked between the trees...
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The Traveler
6/25/2000 12:30:32 PM
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