at the Gate of Walants

The Never Ending Quest - Episode 1681

The demi-foxes escaped the Taxmen (a mystery in the eyes of Fred and Astra, for they saw not the intercession of the lone horseman) and made their way nervously to the shadow nation. Soon they found themselves before the walls of Walants. The high stone walls bespoke of construction under the Engineers of the High King Norman, and with it the truth that serfs and slaves (too many to count) had spent their life's blood digging and dragging the stone blocks to their final resting place. A city guardsman stood upon a small tower appraising the strange couple.

"What be yer business in these parts?" he called down to them.

The Lord D'Honaire looked upon his warrior companion and her eyes spoke without words: Whatever Fred would say in this moment could well spell out hope or doom for them. Too many days had passed already, the wizardry of their lycanthropic disposition would become permanent within eight days. If they couldn't enter the gates and find the one called Synizn, then all dreams of regaining their God-given form would be dashed.

"My business, goodly guard," began Fred. "Is to spend my gold and sell my gems. If this fine towne be not good enough for the likes of my goods, then so be it!"

The guard gave Fred a weird look and stood as if thinking. The nervousness began to get the better of Fred and he wanted to pant wildly, but that would be a dead give-away. The guard fondled his sword a bit and then called to another behind the gates. A discussion ensued, one which Fred and Astra were not privy to. Finally the guard stood and faced them anew.

"You come from the Island?" asked the guard.

This took our heroes aback...they knew nothing of any island.

"Do you," repeated the guard. "Come from the Island of the Dragon Moreau?"

Fred was confounded by the question; he knew not of any island, nor any dragon by the name Moreau. It was Astra who responded by whispering in Fred's twitching ear: "Tell him 'no.' Tell him that we are wayfarers who have profited richly from the spice trade. Tell him that our manner has nothing to do with Moreau. Now!"

Fred did as he was told, and lucky thing he did. The guard raised his hand in a gesture and the metal bars of the gates began to rise, the sound of their grating seemed a warning to any and all that passage within came at a price.

As they passed the guard, an attendant approached the couple. He was dressed in the finery of minor royalty and had spectacles upon his nose. He carried a sheathe of parchment and a pen hung at his side. A dwarf followed him, his robes sullied by black ink; this was the not-so-royal ink bottler – a necessity for any royal undersecretary desiring to one day rise to a higher level of duty, respect, and most importantly medical benefits. It was strange to Fred that the Attendant seemed so tall, almost a giant, while the dwarf was almost of 'normal' size. This troubled Fred much and his desire to rid himself of the accursed blood that wound it's way within his body grew tenfold.

"Ahem," said the Attendant. "State your name, kingdom of origin, and current monetary value in gold."

This was not what Fred expected upon entering a shadow-city. Fred also realized that the more time wasted with a minor bureaucrat the less time was available for finding Synizn.

  1. Fred tells the Attendant everything he wants to know so as to quickly get the formality over with.
  2. Fred attempts to bribe the official so as to quickly find Synizn.

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5/11/1999 1:35:27 PM

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