the Gnome
The Never Ending Quest - Episode 22088
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They followed a tunnel which headed steadily downwards for some hours,
with no side tunnels leaving it. Eventually it opened out into a roughly
circular pit some forty feet across. A helical stairway made out of iron
was attached to the wall of the pit. It spiraled upwards further than they
could see. It had no guardrail and the steps were none too wide, but it
was the only possible exit from the pit unless they were willing to
retrace their steps. Intrigued, they ventured up the spiraling staircase to see where it would lead them. "This might be a possible exit," Fred conjectured, "If so, it'd be a valuable find. Then again, the fact that I feel drawn towards it may be an effect of Belboz's untrustworthy magicks. If he means to draw me further into the caves, this could be the perfect ploy..."After weighing the risks, they decided to take the staircase. It took them on a much longer trek than they would have imagined. . They had ascended the stairwell for what seemed like hours when they finally reached the top. A heavy solid oaken door with a reinforced iron lock barred their way. Fred considered hacking at the door, but decided that would probably only ruin a good sword."How frustrating," he muttered, "it seems we may have to retrace our steps." "We could always knock," Avia remarked."You're right. We don't know whether it is friend or foe that lies behind this door, but we might as well give it a shot." With his sword ready, Fred gave the door a few good whacks. The problem was, the door was so heavy the knocking was soundless. "This isn't going to work," he said, backing away from the door. But just then the sound of the door being unlocked jolted the two adventurers from their thoughts.Fred raised his sword awaiting to confront a potential foe. A large figure filled the door opening. Since it had the light in it's back they couldn't see if it was human or something else. It was clad in a black uniform and in one hand it held a javelin. "WHO GOES THERE?" it boomed, voice like thunder.Fred straightened up and poofed out his chest, "I am Lord Frederigo D'Honaire of Allaria," he said proudly, "and this Avia, my companion!" "WHAT BE YOUR BUSINESS HERE?" the large figure thundered."We - er- were just passing by," he said. "We got lost in the caverns, and found ourselves at the bottom of the staircase, and this seemed to be the only way to go. Please might we pass?" "Of course," said the figure, surprisingly quietly and politely. "What's the matter? Cat got your tongue?" said the same little voice and laughed merrily. Suddenly the top of the great creatures head opened and a gnome jumped out. "Didn't expect that did you?" it said happily, "I just use that thing to scare away the less pleasant inhabitants of these caves. It's run by clockwork," he gave the fake guard a pat and then turned and walked through the door....
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Ib (heavily excerpted from 4406 (JH) and 7562 (mr Qrygg))
11/12/2002 9:03:34 PM
Extending Enabled
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