Sand and Gears
The Never Ending Quest - Episode 15519
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Seven blistering days and six chill nights had passed in the shifting
sediment of the Calamari desert. Princess Astra of Aquilaria was thankful
that the protective clothing and equipment she had purchased from the
Sdanosi was quite effective, even if she had to lie about where she had
acquired it when dispensing it to her compatriots. The thick cloth kept the
sand out of uncomfortable places, and while it was quite warm, at the least
their skin didn't suffer the harsh sun. The seventh night was creeping in as they made camp, Lord Frederigo D'Honaire building the fire that would keep them warm during the times the frigid winds blew. With her compatriots occupied with making camp, Astra knew it was time for her nightly secret meeting. Slipping away from the others, Astra quietly padded roughly one-hundred yards from the campsite, just out of the firelight and barely illuminated by the sunset. The Sdano was waiting for her as usual, but this time curiously enough he clutched an object wrapped in cloth in his hands. "Kind woman, I think this would be of interest to you" "What do you have here, Janos?" The gypsy began to unwrap the object, revealing what looked much like a beetle twice the size of her fist. Oddly enough, though, it was made of ornate woods, ivory, and fine metals, like some unknown king's eccentric jewelry. "I observed this strange thing following your caravan" "It...it walks?" "It did. It was also capable of flight. Now, however, the sand has gotten to it and broken whatever made it move, I think." "Have you seen these before?" "No, I can't say that I have, nor have I heard tales" "Distressing, Janos, but I thank you. I shall speak to you again tomorrow night," Astra said, taking the beetle in her hands and nodding to the Sdano before heading back to her campsite. Frederigo's reaction to seeing the beetle in her hands as she returned was immediate. He picked up a nearby rock and raised it over his head. "Astra, where the hell did you get that? Set it down slowly and then back away." Astra raised an eyebrow and looked indignant for a moment, and then complied reluctantly. Frederigo brought the rock crashing down on the beetle, and it cracked open to reveal intricate though broken clockwork. "You know what it is, Frederigo?" "Of course I do. It's a Hespanish automaton. The damnable things are dangerous!" "Afraid he's right, Lass," Simon the Anchorite said, prying apart the gears with his knife to reveal sharp, hidden blades and what looked to be a miniature crossbow within the mechanisms, "this one looks disabled, but it'd have been risky to leave it intact. During the overland trade wars, I saw one of these take out an infantry unit" "I've...I've never heard of these things, and Aquilaria has regular trade with Hespan" "Aye, Lass, but Aquilaria has never gone to war with Hespan. They're not even a shipping competitor. There'd be no reason to send automatons." "Thing is," Frederigo mused, "I'd thought these things were outlawed after the last treaty. Why in God's name would they be out in the desert?" "Who would have the skill to make such an object?" "They're the playthings of the King of Hespan's pet philosopher and tinkerer, Marchavio. Unnerving fellow. Said to be a rival of our old friend Mad Vincent." "Frederigo, I think you just told us why there are Hespanish automatons in the Calamari..." The constant second-guessing was getting to Lady Rowena D'Honaire. The armed force they had seen was definitely following them, and had been for the past seven days. The last news she'd received from Collins implied that but for a few vocal detractors, the decision to turn over the pirates to the Hespan Armada was all but assured. Now, however, her lines of communication were cut and she had lost one of her trusted servants. It looked like he'd died quickly, but she'd wept for Bartolomeo nonetheless. He had been good to her, and she had been quite fond of him. She knew what the brigands were doing, and they were succeeding. They were following her travels, keeping her unsure, and now they had made obvious the fact that they would not allow her to send for aid or news. Her falconer was returning with the latest report on them, and she bit her lip as he approached. "Milady, they've finished" Rowena frowned, realizing what he meant. Each day more men had joined the brigands. Now, it seemed, they had sufficient numbers to do whatever they had intended. "And what have they done?" "Surrounded us, Milady. Two-score men, polearms and archers amongst them. I cannot seem to find a position they do not have guarded..."
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The Traveler
3/22/2001 9:05:44 AM
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